Those who repent will be blessed
14
1 You people of Israel, return to Yahweh our God.You are being punished because of the sins which you have committed.
2 So now return to Yahweh
and say this to him:
“Forgive us for all the sins that we have committed,
and kindly accept us
in order that we may praise you.
3 We admit that Assyria will not save us,
and our war horses will not save us, either.
We will never again say, ‘You are our gods’
to the idols that we have made.
You are the one who acts mercifully to orphans.”
4 Yahweh says, “If they say that to me, I will forgive them for having turned away from me,
and I will love them with all my inner being,
because I will have stopped being angry with them.
5 I will be to the people of Israel
like dew that refreshes the soil.
When I do that, they will become as delightful as lilies are when they are blooming.
No one will be able to conquer them;
they will be as unmovable as the roots of cedar trees.
6 Their good influence will spread like the branches of a tree.
They will be like beautiful olive trees,
and they will be as delightful as the aroma of the cedar trees in Lebanon.
7 People will come to them to be protected
like people are protected from the hot sun by being in the shade of a tree.
They will flourish like grain that grows well.
They will be successful like a vineyard in which grapes grow abundantly.
They will become as famous as the wines from Lebanon.
8 You people of Israel, do not have anything more to do with idols;
if you get rid of your idols, I will answer your prayers and take care of you.
I am like a strong pine tree,
and your blessings come from me.”
9 Those who are wise will understand the things about which I have written;
Those who think well will pay careful attention to them.
The things that Yahweh wants us to do are right;
righteous people will conduct their lives adhering to them.
But those who rebel against Yahweh will be ruined.