Hosea 11:2-4

Easy-to-Read Version

²But the more I^[a] called the Israelites,
the more they left me.
The Israelites gave sacrifices to the false gods^[b]
and burned incense to the idols.

³“But I was the one who taught Ephraim to walk.
    I took the Israelites in my arms.
I healed them,
    but they don’t know that.
⁴I led them with ropes,^[c]
    but they were ropes of love.
I was like a person who set them free.^[d]
    I bent down and fed them.

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Footnotes

Hosea 11:2 I This is from the ancient Greek version. The standard Hebrew text has “they.”
Hosea 11:2 false gods Literally, “Baals.”
Hosea 11:4 ropes The Hebrew says, “ropes of a man.”
Hosea 11:4 set them free Literally, “lifted the yoke from their jaws.”