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 Yahweh which came unto Hosea son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, —and in the days of Jeroboam 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 Yahweh with Hosea, was, —that Yahweh said unto Hosea, Go take thee a woman of unchastity, and the children of unchastity, for, unchastely indeed, hath the land been going away from following Yahweh.

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 Diblaim, —and she conceived and bare 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.

Then said Yahweh unto him, Call his name Jezreel: for, yet a little, and I will visit the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause 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 come to pass, in that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the vale 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.

Then conceived she again and bare a daughter, and he said to him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah ["Uncompassionated"], —for, not again any more, will I have compassion upon the house of Israel, that I should, forgive, 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, on the house of Judah, will I have compassion, and I will save them, as Yahweh their God, —but will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by battle, by horses, or by horsemen.

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

And, when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.

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

Then said he, Call his name Lo-ammi ["No people of mine"], —for ye are Lo-ammi ["No people of mine"], and, I, will not be yours.

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 shall the number of the sons of Israel become like the sand of the sea, which can neither he measured, nor numbered, —and it shall come to pass, in the place where it used to be said to them, No people of mine, are ye, it shall be said to them, Sons of a 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, gather themselves together, as one, and shall appoint them one head, and come up out of the earth, —for great shall be the day of Jezreel.