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.
Hoseya unodana Iziraela kuti ishanduke
1 Shanduka iwe Iziraela, shandukila kuna Yahwe Ndzimu uwo,
kana wakaligwa nge tjibi tjitjo.
2 Yendani muna matama
mubgwilile kuna Yahwe,
muswike muti ku bali,
“Mutizwiibhatigwe matjinyo edu wose,
mutiamutjile nge ngoni
ndizo tiduse tjibhayilo tje tjipo tje milomo yedu.
3 Asiriya ayingatitjidze,
atitowotaswa mbizi.
Atitjawobe tingatjati, ‘Midzimu yedu,’
tidwa zwakathamiwa nge maboko edu.
Mu muli siyang'wa inowana ngoni.”
4 Ndowolapa kuzwilasha kwabo
ngono abada ndakasununguka,
ngoti kugwadzamoyo kwangu kwapela mu bali.
5 Ndowonga khawa kuna Iziraela,
unowothinila se luba linoyi lili.
Unowofana miti ye Lebanoni,
midzi iye inowonginila pasi.
6 Thabi dzidze tjetjana dzowokula dzikapasula,
bubuya gugwe gowonga gwe mitoba,
nnuhwo uwe unowozipa ukanga we Lebanoni.
7 Unowogala kakale mu ntutshi wangu,
ngono unowopasula se thunde.
Unowothinila se nzhambi,
kazibika se nkumbi we zhambi we Lebanoni.
8 Iwe Ifureimi, apa ndingashingani nge zwifano?
Ndowon'dabila abuya antjengeta.
Ndofanana ne nsipuri unogala una mazhani matshwa,
mitjelo yenyu inodwa mundili.
9 Ndiani wakatjenjela? Iye unowohwisisa zwithu izwezwi.
Ndiani unothubukanya? Iye unowozwihwisisa.
Ngoti zila dza Yahwe dzakalulwama,
balulwami banoyenda mudzili
koga bapanduki banokuthiwa mudzili.