Hosea's Plea to Israel
1 Return to the Lord your God, people of Israel. Your sin has made you stumble and fall. 2 Return to the Lord, and let this prayer be your offering to him: “Forgive all our sins and accept our prayer, and we will praise you as we have promised. 3 Assyria can never save us, and war horses cannot protect us. We will never again say to our idols that they are our God. O Lord, you show mercy to those who have no one else to turn to.”
The Lord Promises New Life for Israel
4 The Lord says,
“I will bring my people back to me.
I will love them with all my heart;
no longer am I angry with them.
5 I will be to the people of Israel
like rain in a dry land.
They will blossom like flowers;
they will be firmly rooted
like the trees of Lebanon.
6 They will be alive with new growth,
and beautiful like olive trees.
They will be fragrant
like the cedars of Lebanon.
7 Once again they will live under my protection.
They will grow crops of grain
and be fruitful like a vineyard.
They will be as famous as the wine of Lebanon.
8 The people of Israel will have nothing more to do with idols;
I will answer their prayers and take care of them.
Like an evergreen tree I will shelter them;
I am the source of all their blessings.”
Conclusion
9 May those who are wise understand what is written here, and may they take it to heart. The Lord's ways are right, and righteous people live by following them, but sinners stumble and fall because they ignore them.
Hoseab ge Israela ra ǀkhoma
1 Oahā re Israeli dido, ǃKhūb sadu Elob ǃoa. Sadu ǂhanuoǃnâsib ǃaroma du ge ǃnôa xuige. 2 Mîde ūsao î ǃKhūb ǃoa oa tsî mî re: “ǂHanuoǃnâsib hoaba ūbē re, î ǀkhomxase ūǃoa da re, î da sida amǁgaugu ǂûtaniba mā tsi ǁkhā. 3 Asiriab ge sida sâu tide; hāgu ai da ge ǃgapi tide tsî da ge ǁkhawa ‘sida elogu’ ti ǃomgu âda di sîsenga mî tide. ǃGuniǀgôan sats xa ra ǀkhomxahe xui-ao.”
ǃKhūb ge Israela ǀasa ûiba ra mîmâiba
4 Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî:
“ǁÎn di ǂhanuoǃnâsiga ta ge nî ǂuruǂuru,
ti ǂgaob hoab ǀkha ta ge ǁîna māsenxase nî ǀnam;
ti ǁaixasib ge ǁîna xu bē amaga.
5 Tita ge Israeli dina ǀaub ase nî ība;
ǁîn ge leliǃkhās khami nî ǃkhā.
Tsîn ge nî ǃnomaǃkhō,
Libanonni di sederhaidi khami.
6 ǁÎn di ǂkham ǁnâugu ge ǀomkhâi
tsî ǀkherahaidi khami nî ī.
ǁÎs di ǂkhaisib tsî ǃgâi ǁamab âs
ge Libanonni din xase nî ī.
7 ǁÎn ǁnā sommi ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ in ge nî oahā;
ǁîn ge ǃhoroba nî ǀomkhâi kai, draibeǃhanab khami
tsîb ge ǁamab âsa Libanonni di ǂauxûib xase nî ī.
8 Efraimtse, tare-e ta tita ǁgôa-elon ǀkha ǁae hâ?
Tita ge ǃeream tsî ra kōǀî tsi ta.
Hoaǁae a ǃam siprehais khami ta ge ī
tita xus ge ǂûnats ra hōsa”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.ǀUnis
9 Tari-e a gā-ai, tsî nē xūna ra ǁnâuǃā? Tari-e a ǁnâuǃāxa tsî nē xūna nî ǂanǃā? ǃKhūb di daogu ge a ǂhanu-ai tsîn ge ǂhanu-ai khoena ǁîgu ǃnâ ra ǃgû, xawe ǃûǂamaon ge ǁîgu ǃnâ ra ǁnā.
