Hosea 2

1Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ru-hamah.footnote afootnote b

2Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

4And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

5For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.footnote c

6Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.footnote d

7And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

8For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.footnote efootnote f

9Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.footnote g

10And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.footnote h

11I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.

12And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.footnote i

13And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.

14Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.footnote j

15And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.footnote kfootnote l

17For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

18And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

19And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

20I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

21And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

22And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.

23And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

1“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’footnote aand of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’footnote b

2Rebuke your mother,rebuke her,for she is not My wife,and I am not her husband.Let her remove the adultery from her faceand the unfaithfulness from between her breasts. 3Otherwise, I will strip her nakedand expose her like the day of her birth.I will make her like a desertand turn her into a parched land,and I will let her die of thirst. 4I will have no compassion on her children,because they are the children of adultery. 5For their mother has played the harlotand has conceived them in disgrace.For she thought,‘I will go after my lovers,who give me bread and water,wool and linen, oil and drink.’

6Therefore, behold,I will hedge up her pathfootnote cwith thorns;I will enclose her with a wall,so she cannot find her way. 7She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;she will seek them but not find them.Then she will say,‘I will return to my first husband,for then I was better off than now.’ 8For she does not acknowledgethat it was I who gave her grain,new wine, and oil,who lavished on her silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal.

9Therefore I will take back My grain in its timeand My new wine in its season;I will take away My wool and linen,which were given to cover her nakedness. 10And then I will expose her lewdnessin the sight of her lovers,and no one will deliver herout of My hands. 11I will put an end to all her exultation:her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—all her appointed feasts. 12I will destroy her vines and fig trees,which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers.So I will make them into a thicket,and the beasts of the field will devour them. 13I will punish her for the days of the Baalswhen she burned incense to them,when she adorned herself with rings and jewelry,and went after her lovers.But Me she forgot,”declares the LORD.

God’s Mercy to Israel

14“Therefore, behold, I will allure herand lead her to the wilderness,and speak to her tenderly. 15There I will give back her vineyardsand make the Valley of Achorfootnote dinto a gateway of hope.There she will respond as she didin the days of her youth,as in the day she came up out of Egypt. 16In that day,”declares the LORD,“you will call Me ‘my Husband,’footnote eand no longer call Me ‘my Master.’footnote f 17For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals;no longer will their names be invoked.

18On that day I will make a covenant for themwith the beasts of the field and the birds of the airand the creatures that crawl on the ground.And I will abolish bow and swordand battle in the land,and will make them lie down in safety. 19So I will betroth you to Me forever;I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,in loving devotionfootnote gand compassion. 20And I will betroth you in faithfulness,and you will know the LORD.”

21“On that day I will respond—”declares the LORD—“I will respond to the heavens,and they will respond to the earth. 22And the earth will respond to the grain,to the new wine and oil,and they will respond to Jezreel.footnote h 23And I will sow her as My own in the land,and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’footnote iI will say to those called ‘Not My People,’footnote j‘You are My people,’footnote kand they will say,‘You are my God.’”