1Israel, be thou turned again to thy Lord God, for thou falledest down in thy wickedness.

2Take ye words with you, and be ye turned again to the Lord; and say ye to him, Do thou away all wicked-ness, and take thou good; and we shall yield the calves of our lips.

3Assur shall not save us, we shall not go upon horse; and we shall no more say, Our gods be the works of our hands; for thou shalt have mercy on that motherless child, which is in thee.

4And the Lord saith, I shall make whole the sorrows of them; I shall love them willfully, for my strong vengeance is turned away from them. [I shall heal the contrition of them; I shall love them of my free will, for my strong vengeance is turned away from them.]

5I shall be as dew, and Israel shall burgeon as a lily. And the root thereof shall break out as of the Lebanon;

6the branches thereof shall go forth. And the glory thereof shall be as an olive tree, and the odour thereof shall be as of the Lebanon.

7They shall be turned again, and sit in the shadow of him; they shall live by wheat, and shall burgeon as a vine. The memorial thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

8Ephraim, what shall idols do more to me? I shall hear him, and I shall address him as a green fir tree. Thy fruit is found of me.

9Who is wise, and shall understand these things? who is understanding, and shall know these things? For the ways of the Lord be rightful, and just men shall go in those [or them]; but trespassers shall fall in those [or them].