Hosea 11

New Century Version

God’s Love for Israel

11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
    and I called my son out of Egypt.
²But when I called the people of Israel,
    they went away from me.
They offered sacrifices to the Baals
    and burned incense to the idols.
³It was I who taught Israel to walk,
    and I took them by the arms,
but they did not understand
    that I had healed them.
⁴I led them with cords of human kindness,
    with ropes of love.
I lifted the yoke from their neck
    and bent down and fed them.

⁵“The Israelites will become captives again, as they were in Egypt,
    and Assyria will become their king,
    because they refuse to turn back to God.
⁶War will sweep through their cities
    and will destroy them
    and kill them because of their wicked plans.
⁷My people have made up their minds
    to turn away from me.
The prophets call them to turn to me,
    but none of them honors me at all.

⁸“Israel, how can I give you up?
    How can I give you away, Israel?
I don’t want to make you like Admah
    or treat you like Zeboiim.^[a]
My heart beats for you,
    and my love for you stirs up my pity.
⁹I won’t punish you in my anger,
    and I won’t destroy Israel again.
I am God and not a human;
    I am the Holy One, and I am among you.
    I will not come against you in anger.
¹⁰They will go after the Lord,
    and he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
    his children will hurry to him from the west.
¹¹They will come swiftly
    like birds from Egypt
    and like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them again in their homes,”
    says the Lord.