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The Family of Hosea

2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.’ ³So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

4 And the Lord said to him, ‘Name him Jezreel;^* for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.’

6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Name her Lo-ruhamah,^* for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. ⁷But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.’

8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹Then the Lord said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi,^* for you are not my people and I am not your God.’^*

The Restoration of Israel

10 ^*Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’, it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’

God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude

11When Israel was a child, I loved him,
   and out of Egypt I called my son.
² The more I^* called them,
   the more they went from me;^*
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
   and offering incense to idols.

³ Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
   I took them up in my^* arms;
   but they did not know that I healed them.
⁴ I led them with cords of human kindness,
   with bands of love.
I was to them like those
   who lift infants to their cheeks.^*
   I bent down to them and fed them.

⁵ They shall return to the land of Egypt,
   and Assyria shall be their king,
   because they have refused to return to me.
⁶ The sword rages in their cities,
   it consumes their oracle-priests,
   and devours because of their schemes.
⁷ My people are bent on turning away from me.
   To the Most High they call,
   but he does not raise them up at all.^*

⁸ How can I give you up, Ephraim?
   How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
   How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
   my compassion grows warm and tender.
⁹ I will not execute my fierce anger;
   I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and no mortal,
   the Holy One in your midst,
   and I will not come in wrath.^*

¹⁰ They shall go after the Lord,
   who roars like a lion;
when he roars,
   his children shall come trembling from the west.
¹¹ They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
   and like doves from the land of Assyria;
   and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.