Parallel Bible results for "hosea 14"

Hosea 14

English Standard Version ESV

1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

2 Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, "Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips.

3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy."

4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.

5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;

6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon.

7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.

9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

The Message Bible MSG

1 O Israel, come back! Return to your God! You're down but you're not out.

2 Prepare your confession and come back to God. Pray to him, "Take away our sin, accept our confession. Receive as restitution our repentant prayers.

3 Assyria won't save us; horses won't get us where we want to go. We'll never again say 'our god' to something we've made or made up. You're our last hope. Is it not true that in you the orphan finds mercy?"

4 "I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out.

5 I will make a fresh start with Israel. He'll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring. He'll put down deep oak tree roots,

6 he'll become a forest of oaks! He'll become splendid - like a giant sequoia, his fragrance like a grove of cedars!

7 Those who live near him will be blessed by him, be blessed and prosper like golden grain. Everyone will be talking about them, spreading their fame as the vintage children of God.

8 Ephraim is finished with gods that are no-gods. From now on I'm the one who answers and satisfies him. I am like a luxuriant fruit tree. Everything you need is to be found in me."

9 If you want to live well, make sure you understand all of this. If you know what's good for you, you'll learn this inside and out. God's paths get you where you want to go. Right-living people walk them easily; wrong-living people are always tripping and stumbling.