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 Jehovah, which came to Hoses, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, 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 Jehovah by Hosea. Jehovah said to Hosea: Go, and take thee a wife of lewdness, and children of lewdness; for the land hath committed great lewdness; it is false to Jehovah.

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, the daughter of Diblaim; 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 Jehovah said to him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will bring the kingdom of the house of Israel to an end.

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

Yea, in that day will I break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

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 God said to him, Call her name Unpitied; for I will no more have pity upon the house of Israel, but will surely take them away.

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 upon the house of Judah will I have pity, and will save them by Jehovah their God; I will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.

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

Then she weaned her daughter Unpitied, and conceived, 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 God said, Call his name Not-my-people. For ye are not my people, and I will not be 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 shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured, or numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, there shall it be said to them, Ye are 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.”

Then shall the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel be gathered together, and shall appoint to themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land. For great shall be the day of Jezreel.