But \{even after he did this,\} all of us wandered away like sheep. We all went our own way. \{We did this after\} the Lord \{freed us from our guilt and\} put all our guilt on him.
I have heard Ephraim {\cf2\super [254]} crying.\par I heard Ephraim say these things:\par ‘Lord, you really punished me!\par And I learned my lesson.\par I was like a calf that was never trained.\par Please stop punishing me,\par and I will come back to you.\par You truly are the Lord my God.\par
“My people have been like lost sheep.\par Their shepherds (leaders)\par led them the wrong way,\par Their leaders made them wander around\par in the mountains and hills.\par They forgot where their resting place is.\par
“I will search for the lost sheep. I will bring back the sheep that were scattered. I will put bandages on the sheep that were hurt. I will make the weak sheep strong. But I will destroy those fat and powerful \{shepherds\}. I will feed them the punishment they deserve.”
My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock was scattered over all the face of the earth. There was no one to search or to look for them.’”
“My people are destroyed because they have no knowledge. You have refused to learn. So I will refuse to let you be a priest for me. You have forgotten the law of your God, so I will forget your children.
I have other sheep too. They are not in this flock here. I must lead them also. They will listen to my voice. In the future there will be one flock and one shepherd.
But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to those weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again?
Everything good comes from God. And every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky (sun, moon, stars). But God never changes \{like those lights\}. He is always the same.