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Hosea 14 - New English Translation (NET)

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Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for your sin has been your downfall![a]
2 Return to the Lord and repent![b]
Say to him: “Completely[c] forgive our iniquity;
accept[d] our penitential prayer,[e]
that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.[f]
3 Assyria cannot save us;
we will not ride warhorses.
We will never again say, ‘Our gods,’
to what our own hands have made.
For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!”[g]

Divine Promise to Relent from Judgment and to Restore Blessings

4 “I will heal their waywardness[h]
and love them freely,[i]
for my anger will turn away[j] from them.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily,
he will send down his roots like a cedar of[k] Lebanon.
6 His young shoots will grow;
his splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
7 People will reside again[l] in his shade;
they will plant and harvest grain in abundance.[m]
They will blossom like a vine,
and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do[n] with idols anymore!
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like[o] a luxuriant cypress tree;[p]
your fruitfulness comes from me!”[q]

Concluding Exhortation

9 Who is wise?
Let him discern[r] these things!
Who is discerning?
Let him understand them!
For the ways of the Lord are right;
the godly walk in them,
but in them the rebellious stumble.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 14:1 tn Heb “For you have stumbled in your iniquity”; cf. NASB, NRSV “because of your iniquity.”
  2. Hosea 14:2 tn Heb “Take words with you and return to the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  3. Hosea 14:2 tn The word order כָּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן (kol tisaʾ ʿavon) is syntactically awkward. The BHS editors suggest rearranging the word order: תִּשָּׂא כָּל־עָוֹן (“Forgive all [our] iniquity!”). However, Gesenius suggests that כָּל (“all”) does not function as the construct in the genitive phrase כָּל־עָוֹן (“all [our] iniquity”); it functions adverbially modifying the verb תִּשָּׂא (“Completely forgive!”; see GKC 415 §128.e).
  4. Hosea 14:2 sn The repetition of the root לָקַח (laqakh) creates a striking wordplay in 14:2. If Israel will bring (לָקַח) its confession to God, he will accept (לָקַח) repentant Israel and completely forgive its sin.
  5. Hosea 14:2 tn Heb “and accept [our] speech.” The word טוֹב (tov) is often confused with the common homonymic root I טוֹב (tov, “good”; BDB 373 s.v. I טוֹב). However, this is probably IV טוֹב (tov, “word, speech”; HALOT 372 s.v. IV טוֹב), a hapax legomenon that is related to the verb טבב (“to speak”; HALOT 367 s.v. טבב) and the noun טִבָּה (tibbah, “rumor”; HALOT 367 s.v. טִבָּה). The term טוֹב (“word; speech”) refers to the repentant prayer mentioned in 14:1-3. Most translations relate it to I טוֹב and treat it as (1) accusative direct object: “accept that which is good” (RSV, NJPS) and “Accept our good sacrifices” (CEV), or (2) adverbial accusative of manner: “receive [us] graciously” (KJV, NASB, NIV). Note TEV, however, which follows the suggestion made here: “accept our prayer.”
  6. Hosea 14:2 tc The MT reads פָרִים (farim, “bulls”), but the LXX reflects פְּרִי (peri, “fruit”), a reading followed by NASB, NIV, NRSV “that we may offer the fruit of [our] lips [as sacrifices to you].” Although the Greek expression in Heb 13:15 (καρπὸν χειλέων, karpon cheileōn, “the fruit of lips”) reflects this LXX phrase, the MT makes good sense as it stands; NT usage of the LXX should not be considered decisive in resolving OT textual problems. The noun פָּרִים (parim, “bulls”) functions as an adverbial accusative of state.
  7. Hosea 14:3 tn Heb “For the orphan is shown compassion by you.” The present translation takes “orphan” as a figurative reference to Israel, which is specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. Hosea 14:4 sn The noun מְשׁוּבָתָה (meshuvatah, “waywardness”; cf. KJV “backsliding”) is from the same root as שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return!”) in 14:1 [14:2 HT]. This repetition of שׁוּב (shuv) creates a wordplay that emphasizes reciprocity: if Israel will return (שׁוּבָה, shuvah) to the Lord, he will cure her of the tendency to turn away (מְשׁוּבָתָה) from him.
  9. Hosea 14:4 tn The noun נְדָבָה (nedavah, “voluntariness; free-will offering”) is an adverbial accusative of manner: “freely, voluntarily” (BDB 621 s.v. נְדָבָה 1). Cf. CEV “without limit,” TEV “with all my heart,” NLT “my love will know no bounds.”
  10. Hosea 14:4 sn The verb שָׁב, shav, “will turn” (Qal perfect third person masculine singular from שׁוּב, shuv, “to turn”), continues the wordplay on שׁוּב in 14:1-4 [14:2-5 HT]. If Israel will “return” (שׁוּב) to the Lord, he will heal Israel’s tendency to “turn away” (מְשׁוּבָתָה, meshuvatah) and “turn” (שָׁב) from his anger.
  11. Hosea 14:5 tn Heb “like Lebanon” (so KJV; also in the following verse). The phrase “a cedar of” does not appear in the Hebrew text; it is supplied in translation for clarity (cf. TEV “the trees of Lebanon,” NRSV “the forests of Lebanon”).
  12. Hosea 14:7 tn Hosea uses the similar-sounding terms יָשֻׁבוּ יֹשְׁבֵי (yashuvu yosheve, “the dwellers will return”) to create a wordplay between the roots שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) and יָשַׁב (yashav, “to dwell; to reside”).
  13. Hosea 14:7 tn Heb “they will cause the grain to live” or “they will revive the grain.” Some English versions treat this as a comparison: “they shall revive as the corn,” (KJV) and “will flourish like the grain” (NIV).
  14. Hosea 14:8 tn The Hebrew expression מַה־לִּי עוֹד (mah-lli ʿod) is a formula of repudiation/emphatic denial that God has anything in common with idols: “I want to have nothing to do with […] any more!” (cf., e.g., Judg 11:12; 2 Sam 16:10; 19:23; 1 Kgs 17:18; 2 Kgs 3:13; 2 Chr 35:21; Jer 2:18; Ps 50:16; BDB 553 s.v. מָה 1.d.[c]).
  15. Hosea 14:8 tn The term “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity, as in the majority of English versions (including KJV).
  16. Hosea 14:8 tn Cf. KJV “a green fir tree,” NIV, NCV “a green pine tree,” NRSV “an evergreen cypress.”
  17. Hosea 14:8 tn Heb “your fruit is found in me”; cf. NRSV “your faithfulness comes from me.”
  18. Hosea 14:9 tn The shortened form of the prefix-conjugation verb וְיָבֵן (veyaven) indicates that it is a jussive rather than an imperfect. When a jussive comes from a superior to an inferior, it may connote exhortation and instruction or advice and counsel. For the functions of the jussive, see IBHS 568-70 §34.3.

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Hosea 14 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

14 Turn back, O Israel, unto Jehovah thy God, For thou hast stumbled by thine iniquity. 2 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 Asshur doth not save us, on a horse we ride not, Nor do we say any mo...
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Hosea 14 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

14 Israel, be thou turned again to thy Lord God, for thou falledest down in thy wickedness. (Israel, return thou to the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen down in thy wickedness.) 2 Take ye words with you, and be ye turned again to the Lord; and say ye to him, Do thou away all wickedness, and take t...
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Hosea 14 - World English Bible (WEB)

14 Israel, return to Yahweh your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.2 Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Tell him, “Forgive all our sins, and accept that which is good: so we offer our lips like bulls.3 Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to...
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Hosea 14 - The Voice (VOICE)

14 Return, Israel, to the Eternal, your True God. You’ve stumbled because of your wickedness.2 Think about what to say, and come back to the Eternal One. Say to Him, “Forgive all our sins, and take us back again.Bring us into Your good grace so we can offer You praise and sacrifice, the fruit of our...
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Hosea 14 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Salvation Like Dew for Israel14 Samaria will bear her guilt,[a]for she has rebelled against her God.They will fall by the sword, their infants dashed to pieces, their pregnant women ripped open.2 Return O Israel, to Adonai your God,for you have stumbled in your iniquity.3 Take words with you and ret...
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Hosea 14 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

A Plea for Repentance14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.2 Take with you words and return to the Lord;say to him, “Take away all iniquity;accept that which is good and we will render the fruit[a] of our lips.3 Assyria shall not save us, we will n...
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Hosea 14 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

A Plea for Repentance14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.2 Take with you words and return to the Lord;say to him, “Take away all iniquity;accept that which is good and we will render the fruit[a] of our lips.3 Assyria shall not save us, we will n...
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Hosea 14 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

A Plea for Repentance14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.2 Take words with you and return to the Lord;say to him, “Take away all guilt;accept that which is good, and we will offer the fruit[a] of our lips.3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ...
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Hosea 14 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

A Plea for Repentance14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.2 Take words with you and return to the Lord;say to him, ‘Take away all guilt;accept that which is good, and we will offer the fruit[a] of our lips.3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ...
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Hosea 14 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

A Plea for Repentance14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.(A)2 Take words with you and return to the Lord;say to him, “Take away all guilt;accept that which is good, and we will offer the fruit[a] of our lips.(B)3 Assyria shall not save us; we wil...
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Hosea 14 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Healing for the Repentant14 [a]Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down.2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him,“Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises.[b]3 Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warho...
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Hosea 14 - New Life Version (NLV)

Hosea’s Last Words to Israel14 Return to the Lord your God, O Israel, for you have fallen because of your sin. 2 Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all sin, and receive us in kindness, that we may praise You with our lips. 3 Assyria will not save us. We will not rid...
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Hosea 14 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Israel Restored at Last14 O Israel, (A)return to the Lord your God,For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;2 Take words with you,And return to the Lord.Say to Him,“Take away all iniquity;Receive us graciously,For we will offer the (B)sacrifices[a] of our lips.3 Assyria shall (C)not save us,(D...
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Hosea 14 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Repentance to bring blessing14 [a]Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!2 Take words with you and return to the Lord.Say to him: ‘Forgive all our sinsand receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[b]3 Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount wa...
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Hosea 14 - New International Version (NIV)

Repentance to Bring Blessing14 [a]Return,(A) Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins(B) have been your downfall!(C)2 Take words with you and return to the Lord.Say to him: “Forgive(D) all our sinsand receive us graciously,(E) that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[b](F)3 Assyria cannot save us;(G)...
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Hosea 14 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

The Lord Blesses Those Who Turn Away From Sin14 Israel, return to the Lord your God. Your sins have destroyed you!2 Tell the Lord you are turning away from your sins. Return to him.Say to him, “Forgive us for all our sins.Please be kind to us. Welcome us back to you. Then our lips will offer you our...
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Hosea 14 - New Century Version (NCV)

Israel Returns to God14 Israel, return to the Lord your God, because your sins have made you fall.2 Come back to the Lord and say these words to him:“Take away all our sin and kindly receive us,and we will keep the promises we made to you.3 Assyria cannot save us, nor will we trust in our horses.We ...
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