1 The word of theLordthat came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days ofUzziah,Jotham,Ahaz,andHezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days ofJeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
The Family of Hosea
2 When theLordbegan to speak by Hosea, theLordsaid to Hosea:
# “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
# Forthe land has committed great harlotry
Bydepartingfrom theLord.”
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4 Then theLordsaid to him:
“Call his name Jezreel,
For in a littlewhile
# I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu,
# And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5 It shall come to pass in that day
That I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 And she conceived again and bore a daughter. ThenGodsaid to him:
“Call her name Lo-Ruhamah,
# For I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel,
But I will utterly take them away.
7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah,
Will save them by theLordtheir God,
# Andwill not save them by bow,
Nor by sword or battle,
By horses or horsemen.”
8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son.
9 ThenGodsaid:
“Call his name Lo-Ammi,
For youarenot My people,
And I will not be yourGod.
The Restoration of Israel
10 “Yetthe 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,
# ‘Youarenot Mypeople,’
Thereit shall be said to them,
# ‘Youaresons of the living God.’
11 Then 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 greatwillbethe day of Jezreel!