Hosea 11

¹ When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.

² The more they were called,
the more they went away.
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to carved images.

³ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.

⁴ I led them with cords of human kindness,
with bands of love.
I was to them like one who lifts
a yoke from their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.

⁵ They will not return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria will be their king,
because they refused to repent.

⁶ The sword will whirl against their cities
and will destroy their gate bars
and devour them because of their own schemes.

⁷ My people are bent on turning away from me.
Though they call out to the Most High,
he will not raise them up at all.

⁸ How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.

⁹ I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.

¹⁰ They will walk after the LORD;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.

¹¹ They will come trembling like birds from Egypt
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will settle them in their homes,
declares the LORD.

¹² Ephraim surrounds me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit.
But Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.