1 Israel, be thou turned again to thy Lord God, for thou falledest down in thy wickedness. (Israel, return thou to the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen down in thy wickedness.)

2 Take ye words with you, and be ye turned again to the Lord; and say ye to him, Do thou away all wickedness, and take thou good; and we shall yield the calves of our lips. (Make ye your words ready, and return to the Lord; and say ye to him, Do thou away all our wickedness, and accept our prayers; and we shall give, or offer, sacrifices with our lips.)

3 Assur shall not save us, we shall not go upon horse; and we shall no more say, Our gods be the works of our hands; for thou shalt have mercy on that motherless child, which is in thee. (Assyria shall not save us, and we shall not go on horses; we shall no more say to the works of our hands, Ye be our gods; for only in thee is there mercy, or love, for the motherless child.)

4  (And the Lord saith), I shall make whole the sorrows of them; I shall love them willfully (or I shall love them willingly), for my strong vengeance is turned away from them. [I shall heal the contrition of them; I shall love them of my free will, for my strong vengeance is turned away from them.]

5 I shall be as dew, and Israel shall burgeon as a lily. And the root thereof shall break out as of the Lebanon; (I shall be like the dew, and Israel shall flower like a lily. And it shall be rooted like the mighty trees of Lebanon;)

6 the branches thereof shall go (forth). And the glory thereof shall be as an olive tree, and the odour thereof shall be as of the Lebanon. (and its branches shall go forth. And its glory shall be like an olive tree, and its aroma shall be like the trees of Lebanon.)

7 They shall be turned again, and sit in the shadow of him; they shall live by wheat, and shall burgeon as a vine. The memorial thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. (The people shall return, and shall sit under my shadow; they shall grow an abundance of corn, and shall flower like a vine. They shall be as famous as the wine of Lebanon.)

8 Ephraim, what shall idols do more to me? I shall hear him, and I shall dress him as a green fir tree. Thy fruit is found of me. (What more shall Ephraim, or the people of Israel, have to do with idols? Now I shall hear them, and I shall shelter them like a green fir tree. Remember, thy fruit cometh from me.)

9 Who is wise, and shall understand these things? who is understanding, and shall know these things? For the ways of the Lord be rightful, and just men shall go in those; but trespassers shall fall in those. (Those who be wise, shall understand these things; and those who have understanding, shall know these things. For the ways of the Lord be right, and the righteous, or the just, shall walk in them; but sinners shall fall in them.)