| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. | 1Israel, return to Yahweh your God, for you have stumbled in your sin. |
| 2Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. | 2Take words of repentance with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him: "Forgive all our sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips. |
| 3Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. | 3Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim, 'Our gods!' to the work of our hands. For the fatherless receives compassion in You." |
| 4I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. | 4I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger will have turned from him. |
| 5I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. | 5I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon. |
| 6His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. | 6His new branches will spread, and his splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance, like the forest of Lebanon. |
| 7They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. | 7The people will return and live beneath his shade. They will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon. |
| 8Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. | 8Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from Me. |
| 9Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. | 9Let whoever is wise understand these things, and whoever is insightful recognize them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them. |
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