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¹ The Lord spoke his word to Hosea son of Beeri during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

Hosea's Wife and Children

² When the Lord began speaking through Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, and marry an unfaithful woman and have unfaithful children, because the people in this country have been completely unfaithful to the Lord." ³ So Hosea married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Hosea's son.

⁴ The Lord said to Hosea, "Name him Jezreel, because soon I will punish the family of Jehu for the people they killed at Jezreel. In the future I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel ⁵ and break the power of Israel's army in the Valley of Jezreel."

⁶ Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. The Lord said to Hosea, "Name her Lo-Ruhamah,^[a] because I will not pity Israel anymore, nor will I forgive them. ⁷ But I will show pity to the people of Judah. I will save them, but not by using bows or swords, horses or horsemen, or weapons of war. I, the Lord their God, will save them."

⁸ After Gomer had stopped nursing Lo-Ruhamah, she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. ⁹ The Lord said, "Name him Lo-Ammi,^[b] because you are not my people, and I am not your God.

God's Promise to Israel

¹⁰ "But the number of the Israelites will become like the grains of sand of the sea, which no one can measure or count. They were called, ‘You are not my people,' but later they will be called ‘children of the living God.' ¹¹ The people of Judah and Israel will join together again and will choose one leader for themselves. They will come up from the land, because the day of Jezreel^[c] will be truly great.