Hosea 2

1 Say to your brothers, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

Say vnto your brethren, Ammi, and to your sisters, Ruhamah,

2 Take up the cause against your mother, take it up, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; let her put away her loose ways from her face, and her false ways from between her breasts;

Plead with your mother: plead with her: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: but let her take away her fornications out of her sight, and her adulteries from betweene her breasts.

3 For fear that I may take away her robe from her, making her uncovered as in the day of her birth; making her like a waste place and a dry land, causing her death through need of water.

Lest I strippe her naked, and set her as in the day that shee was borne, and make her as a wildernes, and leaue her like a drie land, and slaie her for thirst.

4 And I will have no mercy on her children, for they are the children of her loose ways.

And I wil haue no pitie vpon her children: for they be the children of fornications.

5 For their mother has been untrue; she who gave them birth has done things of shame, for she said, I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my wine.

For their mother hath plaied the harlot: she that conceiued them, hath done shamefully: for shee said, I will goe after my louers that giue me my bread and my water, my wooll and my flaxe, mine oyle and my drinke.

6 For this cause I will put thorns in her road, building up a wall round her so that she may not go on her way.

Therefore beholde, I will stoope thy way with thornes, and make an hedge, that shee shall not finde her pathes.

7 And if she goes after her lovers she will not overtake them; if she makes search for them she will not see them; then will she say, I will go back to my first husband, for then it was better for me than now.

Though shee follow after her louers, yet shall shee not come at them: though shee seeke them, yet shall shee not finde them: then shall she say, I will goe and returne to my first husband: for at that time was I better then nowe.

8 For she had no knowledge that it was I who gave her the grain and the wine and the oil, increasing her silver and gold which they gave to the Baal.

Nowe she did not knowe that I gaue her corne, and wine, and oyle, and multiplied her siluer and golde, which they bestowed vpon Baal.

9 So I will take away again my grain in its time and my wine, and I will take away my wool and my linen with which her body might have been covered.

Therefore wil I returne, and take away my corne in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recouer my wool and my flaxe lent, to couer her shame.

10 And now I will make her shame clear before the eyes of her lovers, and no one will take her out of my hand.

And now will I discouer her lewdnes in the sight of her louers, and no man shall deliuer her out of mine hand.

11 And I will put an end to all her joy, her feasts, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her regular meetings.

I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast daies, her newe moones, and her Sabbathes, and all her solemne feasts.

12 And I will make waste her vines and her fig-trees, of which she has said, These are the payments which my lovers have made to me; and I will make them a waste of trees, and the beasts of the field will take them for food.

And I wil destroy her vines and her figtrees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my louers haue giuen mee: and I will make them as a forest, and the wilde beasts shall eate them.

13 And I will give her punishment for the days of the Baals, to whom she has been burning perfumes, when she made herself fair with her nose-rings and her jewels, and went after her lovers, giving no thought to me, says the Lord.

And I wil visit vpon her the daies of Baalim, wherein shee burnt incense to them: and shee decked her selfe with her earings and her iewels, and shee folowed her louers, and forgate me, saith the Lord.

14 For this cause I will make her come into the waste land and will say words of comfort to her.

Therefore beholde, I will allure her, and bring her into the wildernesse, and speake friendly vnto her.

15 And I will give her vine-gardens from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will give her answer there as in the days when she was young, and as in the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

And I will giue her her vineyardes from thence, and the valley of Achor for the doore of hope, and shee shall sing there as in the daies of her youth, and as in the daies when shee came vp out of the land of Egypt.

16 And in that day, says the Lord, you will say to me, Ishi; and you will never again give me the name of Baali;

And at that day, sayeth the Lord, thou shalt call me Ishi, and shalt call me no more Baali.

17 For I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and never again will she say their names.

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

18 And in that day I will make an agreement for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven and the things which go low on the earth; I will put an end to the bow and the sword and war in all the land, and will make them take their rest in peace.

And in that day wil I make a couenant for them, with the wilde beasts, and with the foules of the heauen, and with that that creepeth vpon the earth: and I will breake the bowe, and the sworde and the battell out of the earth, and will make them to sleepe safely.

19 And I will take you as my bride for ever; truly, I will take you as my bride in righteousness and in right judging, in love and in mercies.

And I wil marry thee vnto me for euer: yea, I will marry thee vnto me in righteousnes, and in iudgement, and in mercy and in compassion.

20 I will take you as my bride in good faith, and you will have knowledge of the Lord.

I will euen marry thee vnto me in faithfulnes, and thou shalt knowe the Lord.

21 And it will be, in that day, says the Lord, that I will give an answer to the heavens, and the heavens to the earth;

And in that day I wil heare, saith the Lord, I will euen heare the heauens, and they shall heare the earth,

22 And the earth will give its answer to the grain and the wine and the oil, and they will give an answer to Jezreel;

And the earth shall heare the corne, and the wine, and the oyle, and they shall heare Izreel.

23 And I will put her as seed in the earth, and I will have mercy on her to whom no mercy was given; and I will say to those who were not my people, You are my people, and they will say, My God.

And I will sowe her vnto me in the earth, and I will haue mercie vpon her, that was not pitied, and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people. And they shall say, Thou art my God.