Study Desk

This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for an inheritance, and these are their several portions," declares Lord Yahweh.

"And the gates of the city shall be named for the tribes of Israel, three gates toward the north: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one.

When Yahweh first spoke through Hosea, Yahweh said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking Yahweh."

So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and gave birth to a son for him.

And Yahweh said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will visit the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.

Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And Yahweh said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them.

And Yahweh said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God."

And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together,And they will set for themselves one head,And they will go up from the land,For great will be the day of Jezreel.

"Contend with your mother, contend,For she is not my wife, and I am not her husband;And let her remove her harlotry from her faceAnd her adultery from between her breasts,

For their mother has played the harlot;She who conceived them has acted shamefully.For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,Who give me my bread and my water,My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'

So she will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them;And she will seek them, but will not find them.Then she will say, ‘I will go, and I will return to my first husband,For it was better for me then than now!'

"Now she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil,And multiplied silver and gold for her,Which they used for Baal.

And in that day I will cut a covenant for themWith the beasts of the field,The birds of the sky,And the creeping things of the ground.And I will break the bow, the sword, and war from the land,And I will make them lie down in security.

And I will sow her for Myself in the land.I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion,And I will say to those who were not My people,‘You are My people!'And they will say, ‘You are my God!'"

So I bargained for her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley.

Then I said to her, "You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you."

For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.

Listen to the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel,For Yahweh has a contention against the inhabitants of the land,Because there is no truth or lovingkindnessOr knowledge of God in the land.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.Because you have rejected knowledge,I also will reject you from ministering as My priest.Since you have forgotten the law of your God,I Myself also will forget your children.

And it will be like people, like priest;So I will punish them for their waysAnd cause their deeds to return to them.