7  She shall pursue her lovers

but not overtake them,

and she shall seek them

but shall not find them.

Then she shall say,

‘I will go and ^vreturn to my first ^whusband,

for it was better for me then than now.’

4  Their deeds do not permit them

to return to their God.

For the ^mspirit of whoredom is within them,

and ⁿthey know not the Lord.

1  “Come, ^xlet us return to the Lord;

for he has ^ytorn us, that he may heal us;

he has struck us down, and he will ^zbind us up.

10  ^rThe pride of Israel testifies to his face;¹

yet they do not return to the Lord their God,

nor seek him, for all this.

16  They return, but not upward;¹

they are ^ylike a treacherous bow;

their princes shall fall by the sword

because of the insolence of their tongue.

This shall be their derision ^zin the land of Egypt.

1  Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,

for you have ^kstumbled because of your iniquity.

2  Take with you words

and return to the Lord;

say to him,

“Take away all iniquity;

accept what is good,

and we will pay with bulls

the vows¹ of our lips.

7  They shall return and dwell beneath my^{1 r}shadow;

they shall flourish like the grain;

they shall blossom like the vine;

their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.