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.
Israel te lidilulula ndele ta filwa onghenda
1 Israel, alukila kOmwene Kalunga koye, osheshi wa pundukifwa komanyonauno oye. 2 Indeni neendjovo nye mu alukile kOmwene mu tye: “Dima po omatimba aeshe. Tu tambulila mefilonghenda loye, opo nee hatu ke ku yambela eyambo lomilungu ponhele yeengobe. 3 Asiria itashi dulu oku tu kwafa. Fye inatu hala vali okulonda eenghambe, fye ihatu lombwele vali oilonga yomake etu: Kalunga ketu! Osheshi mwoove ofiye tai mono onghenda.”
4 Eliteeko leni ohandi li velula. Okehalo lange mwene ondi mu hole. Osheshi ehandu lange ole mu pilamena. 5 Ohandi ka ninga kuIsraeli ngaashi omume. Oye ta ka wapala ngaashi onhemo yomado, nomidi daye otadi ka twama ngaashi omuti womupopel. 6 Oitutumine yaye otai ka tandavela, newapalo laye otali ka kala ngaashi olo lolumono, nedimba laye ngaashi olo laLibanon. 7 Oonakukalamo momudile waye tava longo vali oilya, ndele voovene tava ka hapa ngaashi omuviinyu. Netumbalo laye tali ka kala ngaashi omaviinyu aLibanon. 8 Efraim! Ondi na shike vali noikalunga? Onde mu uda, ndele eisho lange ole mu tala. Ame ndi li ngaashi omukipresi mutalala. Oiimati yoye tai di mwaame.
9 Olyelye omunandunge ndele ta udu oinima ei? Olyelye omunamayele ndele ta koneke ei? Osheshi eendjila dOmwene da yuka. Novayuki ohava ende nado, ndelenee ovahenakalunga ohava pundukile mudo.
