Aa
1The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
The Family of Hosea
2When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:
“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For the land has committed great 1:2 Spiritual adulteryharlotry
By departing from the Lord.”
3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4Then the Lord said to him:
“Call his name Jezreel,
For in a little while
I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu,
And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5It shall come to pass in that day
That I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then God said to him:
“Call her name 1:6 Lit. No-MercyLo-Ruhamah,
For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel,
1:6 Or That I may forgive them at allBut I will utterly take them away.
7Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah,
Will save them by the Lord their God,
And will not save them by bow,
Nor by sword or battle,
By horses or horsemen.”
8Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son.
9Then God said:
“Call his name 1:9 Lit. Not-My-PeopleLo-Ammi,
For you are not My people,
And I will not be your God.
The Restoration of Israel
10“Yet the number of the children of Israel
Shall be as the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered.
And it shall come to pass
In the place where it was said to them,
‘You are 1:10 Heb. lo-ammi, v. 9not My people,’
There it shall be said to them,
You are sons of the living God.’
11Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel
Shall be gathered together,
And appoint for themselves one head;
And they shall come up out of the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel!