<p class="poetry">They will return to Egypt!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Assyria will rule over them<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because they refuse to repent!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I have appointed a time to reap judgment<n id="1" /> for you also, O Judah!p><t /><p class="poetry">Whenever I want to restore the fortunes of my people,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will deal with the people and priests together:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will punish them both for their ways,p> <p class="poetry">and I will repay them for their deeds.p>

<p class="poetry">Then I will return again to my lairp> <p class="poetry">until they have suffered their punishment.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Then they will seek me;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">in their distress they will earnestly seek me.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;Come on! Let&#8217;s return to the <sc>Lordsc>!p> <p class="poetry">He himself has torn us to pieces,p> <p class="poetry">but he will heal us!p> <p class="poetry">He has injured<n id="1" /> us,p> <p class="poetry">but he will bandage our wounds!p>

<t /><p class="poetry">They will not remain in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s land.p> <p class="poetry">Ephraim will return to Egypt;p> <p class="poetry">they will eat ritually unclean food in Assyria.p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> also has a covenant lawsuit<n id="1" /> against Judah;p> <p class="poetry">he will punish Jacob according to his waysp> <p class="poetry">and repay him according to his deeds.p>

<p class="poetry">But you must return<n id="1" /> to your God,p> <p class="poetry">by maintaining love and justice,p> <p class="poetry">and by waiting<n id="2" /> for your God to return to you.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">But Ephraim bitterly<n id="1" /> provoked him to anger;p> <p class="poetry">so he will hold him accountable for the blood he has shed,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">his Lord<n id="3" /> will repay him for the contempt he has shown.<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Return, O Israel, to the <sc>Lordsc> your God,p> <p class="poetry">for your sin has been your downfall!<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;I will heal their waywardness<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and love them freely,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">for my anger will turn<n id="3" /> away from them.p>

<p class="poetry">People will reside again<n id="1" /> in his shade;p> <p class="poetry">they will plant and harvest grain in abundance.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">They will blossom like a vine,p> <p class="poetry">and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.p>

<p class="poetry">Therefore, I will take back<n id="1" /> my grain during the harvest time<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and my new wine when it ripens;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I will take away my wool and my flaxp> <p class="poetry">which I had provided<n id="4" /> in order to clothe her.<n id="5" />p>

Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the <sc>Lordsc> their God and their Davidic king.<n id="1" /> Then they will submit to the <sc>Lordsc> in fear and receive his blessings<n id="2" /> in the future.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God;p> <p class="poetry">because a spirit of idolatry<n id="1" /> controls their heart,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and they do not acknowledge the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">The arrogance of Israel testifies against him,p> <p class="poetry">yet they refuse to return to the <sc>Lordsc> their God!p> <p class="poetry">In spite of all this they refuse to seek him!p>

<p class="poetry">They turn to Baal;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they are like an unreliable bow.p> <p class="poetry">Their leaders will fall by the swordp> <p class="poetry">because their prayers to Baal<n id="2" /> have made me angry.p> <p class="poetry">So people will disdain them in the land of Egypt.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">They offer up sacrificial gifts to me,p> <p class="poetry">and eat the meat,p> <p class="poetry">but the <sc>Lordsc> does not accept their sacrifices.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Soon he will remember their wrongdoing,p> <p class="poetry">he will punish their sins,p> <p class="poetry">and they will return to Egypt.p>

<p class="poetry">I cannot carry out<n id="1" /> my fierce anger!p> <p class="poetry">I cannot totally destroy Ephraim!p> <p class="poetry">Because I am God, and not man &#8211; the Holy One among you &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">I will not come in wrath!p>

<p class="poetry">Return to the <sc>Lordsc> and repent!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Say to him: &#8220;Completely<n id="2" /> forgive our iniquity;p> <p class="poetry">accept<n id="3" /> our penitential prayer,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.<n id="5" />p>