Hosea 11

Listen to Hosea 11

The Lord's Love for Israel

1 1When Israel was a child, 2I loved him, and out of Egypt I 3called 4my son.
2 5The more they were called, the more they went away; 6they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.
3 Yet it was 7I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that 8I healed them.
4 9I led them with cords of kindness,[a] with the bands of love, and 10I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and 11I bent down to them and fed them.
5 12They shall not[b] return to the land of Egypt, but 13Assyria shall be their king, 14because 15they have refused to return to me.
6 16The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them 17because of their own counsels.
7 My people are bent 18on turning away from me, and though 19they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? 20How can I make you 21like Admah? How can I treat you 22like Zeboiim? 23My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; 24for I am God and not a man, 25the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.[c]
10 26They shall go after the LORD; 27he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling 28from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birds 29from Egypt, and 30like doves 31from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the LORD.
12 [d] Ephraim 32has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.

Cross References 32

  • 1. [Hosea 2:15]
  • 2. Deuteronomy 7:8; [Hosea 14:4]
  • 3. Cited Matthew 2:15
  • 4. Exodus 4:22; [Malachi 1:6]
  • 5. [ver. 7]
  • 6. [Hosea 2:13; Hosea 13:1, 2]
  • 7. [Hosea 7:15; Deuteronomy 1:31]
  • 8. Exodus 15:26
  • 9. Jeremiah 31:3; [John 6:44; John 12:32]
  • 10. Leviticus 26:13
  • 11. See Psalms 78:24-29
  • 12. [Hosea 8:13]
  • 13. [Hosea 10:3]
  • 14. [2 Kings 17:13, 14]
  • 15. [Hosea 4:16; Hosea 7:16]
  • 16. [Hosea 10:14]
  • 17. Hosea 10:6
  • 18. Hosea 14:4
  • 19. [ver. 2]
  • 20. [Genesis 19:24, 25; Jeremiah 49:18; Jeremiah 50:40; Amos 4:11; Jude 7]
  • 21. Genesis 14:8; Deuteronomy 29:23
  • 22. Genesis 14:8; Deuteronomy 29:23
  • 23. [Deuteronomy 32:36]
  • 24. See Numbers 23:19
  • 25. See Isaiah 12:6
  • 26. [Hosea 3:5]
  • 27. Isaiah 31:4; Jeremiah 25:30; Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2
  • 28. Isaiah 11:11; Zechariah 8:7
  • 29. See Hosea 8:13
  • 30. Isaiah 60:8
  • 31. Zechariah 10:6, 10; [Hosea 9:3]
  • 32. [Hosea 7:13]

Footnotes 4

Hosea 11 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.