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The Lord's Love for Israel

 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 offerings to idols.

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 kindness,^[a]
with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them.

⁵ They shall not^[b] return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
⁶ The sword shall rage against their cities,
consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them because of their own counsels.
⁷ My people are bent on turning away from me,
and though they 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?
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.^[c]

¹⁰ They shall go after the Lord;
he will roar like a lion;
when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west;
¹¹ they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,
and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
^12 [d] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.

Footnotes:

1. Hosea 11:4 Or humaneness; Hebrew man
2. Hosea 11:5 Or surely
3. Hosea 11:9 Or into the city
4. Hosea 11:12 Ch 12:1 in Hebrew

Cross references:

1. Hosea 11:1 : [ch. 2:15]
2. Hosea 11:1 : Deut. 7:8; [ch. 14:4]
3. Hosea 11:1 : Cited Matt. 2:15
4. Hosea 11:1 : Ex. 4:22; [Mal. 1:6]
5. Hosea 11:2 : [ver. 7]
6. Hosea 11:2 : [ch. 2:13; 13:1, 2]
7. Hosea 11:3 : [ch. 7:15; Deut. 1:31]
8. Hosea 11:3 : Ex. 15:26
9. Hosea 11:4 : Jer. 31:3; [John 6:44; 12:32]
10. Hosea 11:4 : Lev. 26:13
11. Hosea 11:4 : See Ps. 78:24-29
12. Hosea 11:5 : [ch. 8:13]
13. Hosea 11:5 : [ch. 10:3]
14. Hosea 11:5 : [2 Kgs. 17:13, 14]
15. Hosea 11:5 : [ch. 4:16; 7:16]
16. Hosea 11:6 : [ch. 10:14]
17. Hosea 11:6 : ch. 10:6
18. Hosea 11:7 : ch. 14:4
19. Hosea 11:7 : [ver. 2]
20. Hosea 11:8 : [Gen. 19:24, 25; Jer. 49:18; 50:40; Amos 4:11; Jude 7]
21. Hosea 11:8 : Gen. 14:8; Deut. 29:23
22. Hosea 11:8 : Gen. 14:8; Deut. 29:23
23. Hosea 11:8 : [Deut. 32:36]
24. Hosea 11:9 : See Num. 23:19
25. Hosea 11:9 : See Isa. 12:6
26. Hosea 11:10 : [ch. 3:5]
27. Hosea 11:10 : Isa. 31:4; Jer. 25:30; Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2
28. Hosea 11:10 : Isa. 11:11; Zech. 8:7
29. Hosea 11:11 : See ch. 8:13
30. Hosea 11:11 : Isa. 60:8
31. Hosea 11:11 : Zech. 10:6, 10; [ch. 9:3]
32. Hosea 11:12 : [ch. 7:13]