You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, ¹  by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. ² 

They will come back shedding tears of contrition. I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. ¹  I will lead them besides streams of water, along smooth paths where they will never stumble. ²  I will do this because I am Israel’s father; Ephraim ³  is my firstborn son.’”