The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Return, Isra'el, to ADONAI your God, for your guilt has made you stumble.
1
O Israel, come back to the Lord your God; for your evil-doing has been the cause of your fall.
2 Take words with you, and return to ADONAI; say to him, "Forgive all guilt, and accept what is good; we will pay instead of bulls [the offerings of] our lips.
2
Take with you words, and come back to the Lord; say to him, Let there be forgiveness for all wrongdoing, so that we may take what is good, and give in payment the fruit of our lips.
3 Ashur will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer call what we made with our hands our gods. For it is only in you that the fatherless can find mercy."
3
Assyria will not be our salvation; we will not go on horses; we will not again say to the work of our hands, You are our gods; for in you there is mercy for the child who has no father.
4 "I will heal their disloyalty, I will love them freely; for my anger has turned from him.
4
I will put right their errors; freely will my love be given to them, for my wrath is turned away from him.
5 I will be like dew to Isra'el; he will blossom like a lily and strike roots like the L'vanon.
5
I will be as the dew to Israel; he will put out flowers like a lily, and send out his roots like Lebanon.
6 His branches will spread out, his beauty be like an olive tree and his fragrance like the L'vanon.
6
His branches will be stretched out, he will be beautiful as the olive-tree and sweet-smelling as Lebanon.
7 Again they will live in his shade and raise grain; they will blossom like a vine, and its aroma will be like the wine of the L'vanon.
7
They will come back and have rest in his shade; their life will be made new like the grain, and they will put out flowers like the vine; his name will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 Efrayim [will say], 'What have I to do any more with idols?' And I, I answer and affirm him; I am like a fresh, green cypress tree; your fruitfulness comes from me."
8
As for Ephraim, what has he to do with false gods any longer? I have given an answer and I will keep watch over him; I am like a branching fir-tree, from me comes your fruit.
9 Let the wise understand these things, and let the discerning know them. For the ways of ADONAI are straight, And the righteous walk in them, but in them sinners stumble.
9
He who is wise will see these things; he who has good sense will have knowledge of them. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and the upright will go in them, but sinners will be falling in them.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.