Hosea 11
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 11
With Human Attachments and with Bonds of Love
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.[a]
2 But the more I called them,
the further they went from me.
They offered sacrifice to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I who took them up in my arms.
However, they did not know
that I was the one caring for them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with bonds of love.
I lifted them to my cheek as I would an infant,
and I bent down to feed them.
5 They shall return to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria will be their king
because they refused to return to me.
6 The sword shall be brandished in their cities;
it will destroy the bars of their gates
and devour them because of their evil schemes.
7 My people are determined to ignore me;
if they are summoned to approach me,
not one of them makes any attempt to do so.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?[b]
How can I make you like Zeboiim?
My heart is overwhelmed within me;
tender compassion is enkindled in my heart.
9 I will not give rein to my fierce anger;
I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not a mortal.
I am the Holy One in your midst;
I will not come to you in wrath.
10 [c]They will follow the Lord
who roars like a lion.
And when he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come trembling like sparrows from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria.
I will resettle them in their homes,
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Hosea 11:1 Out of Egypt I called my son: like most of the Prophets, Hosea dates the beginning of Israel from the time of Moses and the Exodus. In the New Testament, this text is applied to the return of the infant Jesus from Egypt (Mt 2:15).
- Hosea 11:8 Admah and Zeboiim: two cities destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah, according to Deut 29:22.
- Hosea 11:10 These two verses on the restoration of Israel were certainly added after the Exile. The Lord roars like a lion in order to frighten his enemies and call his children back from the dispersion. To Palestinians, Egypt represented the West.
