Hosea 11
Reversal of the Exodus: Return to Egypt and Exile in Assyria
11:1 When Israel was a young man, I loved him like a son,1
and I summoned my son2 out of Egypt.
11:2 But the more I summoned3 them,
the farther they departed from me.4
They sacrificed to the Baal idols
and burned incense to images.
11:3 Yet it was I who led5 Ephraim,
I took them by the arm;
but they did not acknowledge
that I had healed them.6
11:4 I led them with leather7 cords,
with leather8 ropes;
I lifted the yoke9 from their neck,10
and gently fed them.11
11:5 They will return to Egypt!12
Assyria will rule over them13
because they refuse to repent!14
11:6 A sword will flash in their cities,
it will destroy the bars of their city gates,
and will devour them in their fortresses.
11:7 My people are obsessed15 with turning away from me;16
they call to Baal,17 but he will never exalt them!
The Divine Dilemma: Judgment or Mercy?
11:8 How can I give you up,18 O Ephraim?
How can I surrender you, O Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboiim?
I have had a change of heart!19
All my tender compassions are aroused!20
11:9 I cannot carry out21 my fierce anger!
I cannot totally destroy Ephraim!
Because I am God, and not man – the Holy One among you –
I will not come in wrath!
God Will Restore the Exiles to Israel
11:10 He will roar like a lion,
and they will follow the
when he roars,
his children will come trembling22 from the west.
11:11 They will return in fear and trembling23
like birds from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria,
and I will settle them in their homes,” declares the
God’s Lawsuit against Israel: Breach of Covenant
11:12 (12:1)24 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies;
the house of Israel has surrounded me25 with deceit.
But Judah still roams about with26 God;
he remains faithful to the Holy One.