[1] Israel, return to the LORD your God. You have stumbled because of your sins. [2] Return to the LORD, and say these things to him: "Forgive all our sins, and kindly receive us. Then we'll praise you with our lips. [3] Assyria cannot save us. We won't ride on horses anymore. We will never again say that the things our hands have made are our gods. You love orphans." [4] The LORD says, "I will cure them of their unfaithfulness. I will love them freely. I will no longer be angry with them. [5] I will be like dew to the people of Israel. They will blossom like flowers. They will be firmly rooted like cedars from Lebanon. [6] They will be like growing branches. They will be beautiful like olive trees. They will be fragrant like cedars from Lebanon. [7] They will live again in God's shadow. They will grow like grain. They will blossom like grapevines. They will be as famous as the wines from Lebanon. [8] "The people of Ephraim will have nothing more to do with idols. I will answer them and take care of them. I am like a growing pine tree. Their fruit comes from me." [9] Wise people will understand these things. A person with insight will recognize them. The LORD's ways are right. Righteous people live by them. Rebellious people stumble over them.
