Ephraim, why should I have anything more to do with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a flourishing pine tree; your fruit comes from me.
So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms round his neck, and kissed him.
Instead of the thorn bush, a cypress will come up, and instead of the briar, a myrtle will come up; this will stand as a monument for the Lord, an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.
The glory of Lebanon will come to you – its pine, elm, and cypress together – to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will glorify my dwelling place.
I will plant it on Israel’s high mountain so that it may bear branches, produce fruit, and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.