Divine love

¹When Israel was a child, I loved him,

²The more I called them,

they kept sacrificing to the Baals,

³Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk;

⁴I led them

I treated them like those

Divine frustration

⁵They will return to the land of Egypt,

⁶The sword will strike wildly in their cities;

⁷My people are bent on turning away from me;

Divine compassion

⁸How can I give you up, Ephraim?

How can I make you like Admah?

My heart winces within me;

Israel’s and Judah’s responses

⁹I won’t act on the heat of my anger;

for I am God and not a human being,

I won’t come in harsh judgment.

¹⁰They will walk after the LORD ,

¹¹They will come trembling like a bird,

¹²Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,[#11.12 12:1 in Heb]