Hosea 1

1 The Lord sent a message to Hosea son of Beeri at the time when Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz were the kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was the king of Israel.

The word of the Lord which came to Osee the son of Beeri, in the days of Ozias, and Joatham, and Achaz, and Ezekias, kings of Juda, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joas, king of Israel.

2 The Lord began speaking through Hosea by telling him, “Go and take a wife who is a prostitute and have children born to a prostitute because those living in this land have committed terrible prostitution by turning away from the Lord.”

The beginning of the word of the Lord by Osee. And the Lord said to Osee, Go, take to thyself a wife of fornication, and children of fornication: for the land will surely go a-whoring in departing from the Lord.

3 So Hosea went and married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and bore Hosea a son.

So he went and took Gomer, daughter of Debelaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son.

4 The Lord told Hosea, “Call him Jezreel, because I am going to punish the house of Jehu for the blood he shed at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

And the Lord said to him, Call his name Jezrael; for yet a little [while], and I will avenge the blood of Jezrael on the house of Juda, and will make to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

5 On that day I will break Israel's military power in the valley of Jezreel.”

And it shall be, in that day, [that] I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezrael.

6 Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. The Lord told Hosea, “Call her Lo-ruhamah, because I will no longer love the house of Israel and certainly not forgive them.

And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And he said to him, Call her name, Unpitied: for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, but will surely set myself in array against them.

7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them—but I will not save them by bow or sword or war or horses and riders.”

But I will have mercy on the house of Juda, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them with bow, nor with sword, nor by war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.

8 After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son.

And she weaned Unpitied; and she conceived again, and bore a son.

9 The Lord told Hosea, “Call him Lo-ammi, because you are not my people and I am not your God.

And he said, Call his name, Not my people: for ye are not my people, and I am not your [God].

10 Even so the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand on the seashore that cannot be measured or counted. Then right there at the place where they were told ‘you are not my people’ they will be called ‘the children of the living God.’

Yet the number of the children of Israel was as the sand of the sea, which shall not be measured nor numbered: and it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, even they shall be called the sons of the living God.

11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah will be gathered together and they will choose one leader for themselves and they will take possession of the land, and the day of Jezreel will be great.”

And the children of Juda shall be gathered, and the children of Israel together, and shall appoint themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land: for great [shall be] the day of Jezrael.