Hosea 11

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

² But the more I cal ed, the further they went away from me; they offered sacrifice to Baal and burntincense to idols.

³ I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I myself took them by the arm, but they did not know that I was theone caring for them,

⁴ that I was leading them with human ties, with leading-strings of love, that, with them, I was likesomeone lifting an infant to his cheek, and that I bent down to feed him.

⁵ He wil not have to go back to Egypt, Assyria wil be his king instead! Since he has refused to comeback to me,

⁶ the sword wil rage through his cities, destroying the bars of his gates, devouring them because oftheir plots.

⁷ My people are bent on disregarding me; if they are summoned to come up, not one of them makes amove.

⁸ Ephraim, how could I part with you? Israel, how could I give you up? How could I make you likeAdmah or treat you like Zeboi m? My heart within me is overwhelmed, fever grips my inmost being.

⁹ I wil not give rein to my fierce anger, I wil not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God, not man, the HolyOne in your midst, and I shall not come to you in anger.

¹⁰ They wil fol ow Yahweh; he wil roar like a lion, and when he roars, his children will come flutteringfrom the west,

¹¹ fluttering like sparrows from Egypt, like pigeons from Assyria, and I shal settle them in their homes-declares Yahweh.