Books of The Bible / Book of Hosea
1 When Israel was a child I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.
2 But the more I called, the further they went away from me; they offered sacrifice to Baal and burnt incense to idols.
3 I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I myself took them by the arm, but they did not know that I was the one caring for them,
4 that I was leading them with human ties, with leading-strings of love, that, with them, I was like someone lifting an infant to his cheek, and that I bent down to feed him.
5 He will not have to go back to Egypt, Assyria will be his king instead! Since he has refused to come back to me,
6 the sword will rage through his cities, destroying the bars of his gates, devouring them because of their plots.
7 My people are bent on disregarding me; if they are summoned to come up, not one of them makes a move.
8 Ephraim, how could I part with you? Israel, how could I give you up? How could I make you like Admah or treat you like Zeboiim? My heart within me is overwhelmed, fever grips my inmost being.
9 I will not give rein to my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God, not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I shall not come to you in anger.
10 They will follow Yahweh; he will roar like a lion, and when he roars, his children will come fluttering from the west,
11 fluttering like sparrows from Egypt, like pigeons from Assyria, and I shall settle them in their homes -declares Yahweh.
Written by Robert Patterson, M.A.
Robert holds a Master's degree in Religious Studies with a focus on Catholic Church History. He has spent over two decades researching the lives of the Popes and the history of the Papacy. PopeHistory.com has been a trusted resource for papal information since 2001.
