18 I have surely heard Ephraim agrieving,
‘You have bchastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained ccalf;
dCause me to return that I may return,
For You are Yahweh my God.
19 For after I turned away, I arepented;
And after I was instructed, I bslapped my thigh;
I was cashamed and also dishonored
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’
20 Is aEphraim My dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him;
Therefore My binmost being yearns for him;
I will surely chave compassion on him,” declares Yahweh.