1 O Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled and fallen, due to your iniquity.

Turn back, O Israel, unto Jehovah thy God, For thou hast stumbled by thine iniquity.

2 T ake with you words and return to the Lord. Say to Him, Take away all our iniquity; accept what is good and receive us graciously; so will we render as bullocks and pay the confession of our lips.

Take with you words, and turn to Jehovah, Say ye unto Him: `Take away all iniquity, and give good, And we do render the fruit of our lips.

3 A ssyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, You are our gods. For in You the fatherless find love, pity, and mercy.

Asshur doth not save us, on a horse we ride not, Nor do we say any more, Our God, to the work of our hands, For in Thee find mercy doth the fatherless.'

4 I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for My anger is turned away from.

I heal their backsliding, I love them freely, For turned back hath Mine anger from him.

5 I will be like the dew and the night mist to Israel; he shall grow and blossom like the lily and cast forth his roots like Lebanon.

I am as dew to Israel, he flourisheth as a lily, And he striketh forth his roots as Lebanon.

6 H is suckers and shoots shall spread, and his beauty shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like Lebanon.

Go on do his sucklings, And his beauty is as an olive, And he hath fragrance as Lebanon.

7 T hey that dwell under his shade shall return; they shall revive like the grain and blossom like the vine; the scent of it shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Return do the dwellers under his shadow, They revive corn, and flourish as a vine, His memorial as wine of Lebanon.

8 E phraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered and will regard and watch over him; I am like a green fir or cypress tree; with Me is the fruit found.

O Ephraim, what to Me any more with idols? I -- I afflicted, and I cause him to sing: `I as a green fir-tree,' From Me is thy fruit found.

9 W ho is wise, that he may understand these things? Prudent, that he may know them? For the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them, but transgressors shall stumble and fall in them.

Who wise, and doth understand these? Prudent, and knoweth them? For upright are the ways of Jehovah, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!