Study Desk

The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah,^(a) Jotham,^(b) Ahaz,^(c) and Hezekiah,^(d) kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam^(e) son of Jehoash, king of Israel.

When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife^(f) and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord .

So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.^(g)

Then the Lord said to him: Name him Jezreel,^(h) for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel⁽ⁱ⁾ on the house of Jehu^(j) and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

On that day I will break the bow of Israel^(k) in the Valley of Jezreel.^[a](l)

She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the Lord said to him: Name her No Compassion,^[b] for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel. I will certainly take them away.

But I will have compassion on the house of Judah,^(m) and I will deliver them by the Lord their God.⁽ⁿ⁾ I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.^(o)

After Gomer had weaned No Compassion, she conceived and gave birth to a son.

Then the Lord said: Name him Not My People,^[c] for you are not My people, and I will not be your God.^[d](p)

^[e]Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea,^(q) which cannot be measured or counted. And in the place where they were told: You are not My people, they will be called: Sons of the living God.^(r)

And the Judeans and the Israelites will be gathered together.^(s) They will appoint for themselves a single ruler^(t) and go up from^[f] the land. For the day of Jezreel^(u) will be great.

^[a]Call^[b] your brothers: My People and your sisters: Compassion.

Rebuke your mother; rebuke her.^(a) For she is not My wife and I am not her husband.^(b) Let her remove the promiscuous look from her face^(c) and her adultery from between her breasts.

Otherwise, I will strip her naked^(d) and expose her as she was on the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert^(e) and like a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst.^(f)

I will have no compassion on her children^(g) because they are the children of promiscuity.

Yes, their mother is promiscuous; she conceived them and acted shamefully.^(h) For she thought, "I will go after my lovers,⁽ⁱ⁾ the men who give me my food and water, my wool and flax, my oil and drink."^(j)

Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her^[c] way^(k) with thorns;^(l) I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths.^(m)

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;⁽ⁿ⁾ she will seek them but not find them. Then she will think, "I will go back to my former husband,^(o) for then it was better for me than now."^(p)

She does not recognize^(q) that it is I who gave her the grain,^(r) the new wine, and the oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal.

Therefore, I will take back My grain in its time^(s) and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were to cover her nakedness.

Now I will expose her shame^(t) in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her from My hands.

I will put an end to all her celebrations:^(u) her feasts,^(v) New Moons,^(w) and Sabbaths— all her festivals.

I will devastate her vines and fig trees.^(x) She thinks that these are her wages that her lovers have given her. I will turn them into a thicket,^(y) and the wild animals will eat them.^(z)

And I will punish her for the days of the Baals^(aa) when she burned incense to them,^(ab) put on her rings and jewelry,^(ac) and went after her lovers, but forgot Me.^(ad) This is the Lord 's declaration.

Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness,^(ae) and speak tenderly to her.^[d]

There I will give her vineyards back to her^(af) and make the Valley of Achor^[e](ag) into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth,^(ah) as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt.

In that day— this is the Lord 's declaration— you will call Me, "My husband,"^(ai) and no longer call Me, "My Baal."^[f]

For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth; they will no longer be remembered by their names.

On that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the creatures that crawl on the ground.^(aj) I will shatter bow, sword, and weapons of war in the land^[g](ak) and will enable the people to rest securely.^(al)

I will take you to be My wife forever.^(am) I will take you to be My wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion.^(an)

I will take you to be My wife in faithfulness, and you will know Yahweh.^(ao)

On that day I will respond^(ap)— this is the Lord 's declaration. I will respond to the sky, and it will respond to the earth.

The earth will respond to the grain,^(aq) the new wine, and the oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.

I will sow her^[h] in the land for Myself,^(ar) and I will have compassion^(as) on No Compassion; I will say^(at) to Not My People:^(au) You are My people,^(av) and he will say, "You are My God."

Then the Lord said to me, "Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress,^(a) just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes."^(b)

So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver and five bushels of barley.^[a][b](c)

I said to her, "You must live with me many days. Don't be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you."

For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince,^(d) without sacrifice^(e) or sacred pillar,^(f) and without ephod^(g) or household idols.^(h)

Afterward, the people of Israel will return⁽ⁱ⁾ and seek the Lord their God and David their king.^(j) They will come with awe to the Lord ^(k) and to His goodness in the last days.

Hear the word of the Lord ,^(a) people of Israel, for the Lord has a case^(b) against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth,^(c) no faithful love,^(d) and no knowledge of God^(e) in the land!

Cursing,^(f) lying,^(g) murder,^(h) stealing,⁽ⁱ⁾ and adultery^(j) are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.^(k)

For this reason the land mourns,^(l) and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals^(m) and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear.⁽ⁿ⁾

But let no one dispute;^(o) let no one argue, for My case is against you priests.^[a][b](p)

You will stumble by day;^(q) the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother.^(r)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.^(s) Because you have rejected knowledge,^(t) I will reject you^(u) from serving as My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God,^(v) I will also forget your sons.

The more they multiplied,^(w) the more they sinned against Me. I^[c] will change their honor^[d] into disgrace.^(x)

They feed on the sin^[e] of My people;^(y) they have an appetite for their transgressions.^(z)

The same judgment will happen to both people and priests.^(aa) I will punish them for their ways^(ab) and repay them for their deeds.

They will eat but not be satisfied;^(ac) they will be promiscuous^(ad) but not multiply. For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord .^(ae)

Promiscuity,^(af) wine, and new wine take away one's understanding.^(ag)

My people consult their wooden idols,^(ah) and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray;^(ai) they act promiscuously^(aj) in disobedience to^[f] their God.

They sacrifice on the mountaintops,^(ak) and they burn offerings on the hills,^(al) and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,^(am) because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes^(an) and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes.^(ao) People without discernment are doomed.^(ap)

Israel, if you act promiscuously, don't let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal^(aq) or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven,^[g](ar) and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives!^(as)

For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow.^(at) Can the Lord now shepherd them like a lamb in an open meadow?^(au)

Ephraim is attached to idols;^(av) leave him alone!^(aw)

When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity. Israel's leaders^[h] fervently love disgrace.^[i]

A wind with its wings will carry them off,^[j](ax) and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.