14:2

In this verse, Hosea explains how the people should return to the LORD. He offers a model prayer. It shows that a true return requires humility and sincere words.

14:2a

Bring your confessions and return to the LORD: According to OT teaching, people took an offering to God when they came to him. See Exodus 23:15; 34:20. The usual offering was an animal. Here, however, Hosea told them to take an offering of their words instead of an animal.

The words they should offer are the words that Hosea tells them to say to the LORD in the rest of this verse and in 14:3.

Some versions make clearer what words Hosea refers to here. For example:

Come back to the Lord and say these words to him: “Take away all our sin and kindly receive us…. (New Century Version)
-or-
Come back to the Lord with your words of confession (Revised English Bible)

14:2b

The Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures has been used as the source line for 2b–c because it follows the recommended interpretations.

(Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures) Say to him: “Forgive all guilt and accept what is good: In this clause Hosea tells the people how to begin their prayer.

Forgive all guilt:
The word Forgive means to “take away guilt.” For information on the word guilt see the note in Hosea 13:12 on “guilt…sins.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause part:

Take away all iniquity (English Standard Version)
-or-
Forgive all our sins (New Living Translation (2004))

And accept what is good: There is a textual issue regarding the Hebrew word that the Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures translates as what is good.

(1) The Hebrew word is: good. For example:

accept what is good (English Standard Version)

(2) The Hebrew word is: “word/speech.” For example:

accept our prayer (Good News Translation)

#(3) The Hebrew word is: “graciously.” For example:

and graciously receive us (New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow option (1). It has the best support from lexicons. However, in this context, the phrase what is good refers to words of confession and repentance in prayer. For that reason option (2) is also acceptable.

14:2c

(Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures) instead of bulls we will pay [the offering of] our lips: The Hebrew clause is more literally “so that (or: and) we may pay bulls our lips.” There is a textual issue concerning the Hebrew word for bulls :

(1) The Hebrew MT has bulls. For example:

Accept our good sacrifices of praise instead of bulls. (Contemporary English Version)
#
(2) The LXX has “fruit.” For example:

accept that which is good and we will offer the fruit of our lips (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with the majority of versions. It is similar to the first part of the verse in which Hosea urges the people to take their words of repentance to the LORD.

There are two acceptable ways to understand the connection of this clause to the preceding one:

• This clause explains the phrase “what is good” in the preceding clause The offering of praise from our lips is what is good. For example:

Accept what is good, namely the praise of our lips as equal to an offering of bulls.

• This clause gives the result of what is said in the preceding clause. God’s acceptance of our prayer of repentance allows us to offer praise as a result. For example:

Accept our penitential prayer, that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls. (NET Bible)

we will pay [the offering of] our lips: Here the Hebrew word for pay means to make a payment to fulfill a vow. The words the offering of are not in the Hebrew text but they are implied by the reference to bulls.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause part:

we may offer you the sacrifice of praise (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
we will dedicate to you our lips. (New Jerusalem Bible)

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