Va Yetse -Weekly Hafttarah/Torah Portions

Va Yetze ("And he went out")

 Today I am going to look at the weekly Torah portions using the Common English Bible.  I will focus today on the Halftarah which is basically the book of prophets.

Torah is Genesis 28:10-32:2(3)
Hafttarah is Hosea 12:12-14:10
Gospel Reading Matthew 3:13-4:11

Today I am going to focus on this section: (I am using all of Chapter 14)

Hosea 14

Common English Bible (CEB)

A plea: Return to God

 ^{1 [a]} Return, Israel, to the LORD your God;
      you have stumbled
      because of your wickedness.
² Prepare to speak
   and return to the LORD;
   say to the LORD,
      “Forgive all wickedness;
         and receive the good.
   Instead of bulls,
      let us offer what we can say:
³ Assyria won’t save us;
      we won’t ride upon horses;
   we will no longer say, ‘Our God,’
      to the work of our hands.
   In you the orphan finds compassion.”

Divine promise of healing

 ⁴ I will heal their faithlessness;
            I will love them freely,
      for my anger has turned from them.
⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel;
      he will blossom like the lily,
      he will cast out his roots
      like the forests of Lebanon.^[b]
6 His branches will spread out;
      his beauty will be like the olive tree,
      and his fragrance
      like that of Lebanon.
⁷ They will again live beneath my shadow,
      they will flourish like a garden;
   they will blossom like the vine,
      their fragrance will be
      like the wine of Lebanon.
⁸ Ephraim, what do idols
have to do with me?
      It is I who answer and look after you.
   I am like a green cypress tree;
      your fruit comes from me.

Be careful

 ⁹ Whoever is wise
understands these things.
   Whoever observes
   carefully knows them.
   Truly, the LORD’s ways are right,
      and the righteous will walk in them,
      but evildoers will stumble in them.

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