תֶּאְשַׁם שֹׁמְרוֹן כִּי מָרְתָה בֵּאלֹהֶיהָ בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ עֹלְלֵיהֶם יְרֻטָּשׁוּ וְהָרִיּוֹתָיו יְבֻקָּעוּ

Samaria will be guilty, as it defied its God; they will fall by the sword, their infants will be mangled, and their pregnant women will be ruptured.

שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ בַּעֲוֹנֶךָ

Return, Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity. Since your sins have led you to a dead end, the only path open to you is to return to God.

קְחוּ עִמָּכֶם דְּבָרִים וְשׁוּבוּ אֶל־ה' אִמְרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן וְקַח טוֹב וּנְשַׁלְּמָה פָרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ

Take words with yourselves. Each person should seek the counsel of his neighbor and discuss how to return to the Lord. Say to Him: You can forgive all iniquity and accept that which is good about us, and we will substitute our lips for bulls. Instead of bringing large, expensive offerings, we will offer our confessions, as it is petitioning God that is of the utmost importance.

אַשּׁוּר לֹא יוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ עַל־סוּס לֹא נִרְכָּב וְלֹא־נֹאמַר עוֹד אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ יְרֻחַם יָתוֹם

The people will then come to some realizations from their introspection: Assyria will not save us, and therefore we will not ask them for aid. We will not ride on a horse into battle or continue with our militaristic endeavors, and we will no longer say to the idols, our handiwork: You are our gods, for it is in You, God, that an orphan will find mercy. There is none but You, God, who can assist us in our weakness.

אֶרְפָּא מְשׁוּבָתָם אֹהֲבֵם נְדָבָה כִּי שָׁב אַפִּי מִמֶּנּוּ

God responds to the people’s repentance: I will heal their illnesses and wounds that they received due to their mischief; I will love them gratuitously and show them kindness and mercy, for My wrath has turned from them, and I will forgive their transgressions.

אֶהְיֶה כַטַּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יִפְרַח כַּשּׁוֹשַׁנָּה וְיַךְ שָׁרָשָׁיו כּלְּבָנוֹן

I will be like the dew to Israel, and then it will blossom like the lily, and it will strike his roots like the deep and pervasive roots of the trees of the Lebanon.

יֵלְכוּ יוֹנְקוֹתָיו וִיהִי כַזַּיִת הוֹדוֹ וְרֵיחַ לוֹ כַּלְּבָנוֹן

His tender branches will also spread far upward, and his beauty will be like the olive tree, an evergreen whose branches are always full of leaves, and his fragrance will be rich and diverse like the Lebanon.

יָשֻׁבוּ יֹשְׁבֵי בְצִלּוֹ יְחַיּוּ דָגָן וְיִפְרְחוּ כַגָּפֶן זִכְרוֹ כְּיֵין לְבָנוֹן

Those who dwell in his shade, who take refuge in the Kingdom of Israel, will return; they will give life to grain and they will blossom and thrive like the vine, whose branches spread out quickly. His repute will be like the wine of Lebanon, with its unique taste that lingers in the mouth after it has been imbibed.

אֶפְרַיִם מַה־לִּי עוֹד לָעֲצַבִּים ! אֲנִי עָנִיתִי וַאֲשׁוּרֶנּוּ אֲנִי כִּבְרוֹשׁ רַעֲנָן מִמֶּנִּי פֶּרְיְךָ נִמְצָא

Ephraim will either say or be told to say: What have I to do with idols anymore? God answers: I have responded to him in his hour of need, and I will gaze upon him and watch over him. Alternatively, God addresses Ephraim rhetorically, asking him why he turns to idols if it is God who answers his prayers and guards him. I am like an ever lush juniper tree, whose leaves do not dry out, and yet I am superior to the barren juniper, as from Me, your fruit is found.

מִי חָכָם וְיָבֵן אֵלֶּה נָבוֹן וְיֵדָעֵם! כִּי־יְשָׁרִים דַּרְכֵי ה' וְצַדִּקִים יֵלְכוּ בָם וּפשְׁעִים יִכָּשְׁלוּ בָם

Who is wise and will understand these matters, of troubles, downfalls, victories, and defeats, and their implications? Who is understanding and will know what to make of them? No one can fully comprehend them, and yet one must always trust in God, for the ways of the Lord are straight; the righteous will walk in them and reach a good place, and transgressors will stumble on them, even though they are straight.