Hosea 2

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

“Say to your brothers, ‘My people!’ and to your sisters, ‘My loved one!’

2 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.

Contend with your mother! Contend, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her prostitution from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3 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.

lest I strip her naked, and make her bare as in the day that she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and kill her with thirst.

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

Indeed, on her children I will have no mercy, for they are children of unfaithfulness.

5 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.

For their mother has played the prostitute. She who conceived them has done shamefully; for she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’

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

Therefore behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, that she cannot find her way.

7 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.

She will follow after her lovers, but she will not overtake them; and she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with me than now.’

8 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.

For she did not know that I gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied to her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

9 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.

Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my new wine in its season, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.

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

Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver her out of my hand.

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

I will also cause all her celebrations to cease: her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.

12 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.

I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, about which she has said, ‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me,’ and I will make them a forest, and the animals of the field shall eat them.

13 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.

I will visit on her the days of the Baals, to which she burned incense when she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and went after her lovers and forgot me,” says the LORD.

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

“Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

15 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.

I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will respond there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

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

It will be in that day,” says the LORD, “that you will call me ‘my husband,’ and no longer call me ‘my master.’

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

For I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they will no longer be mentioned by name.

18 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.

In that day I will make a covenant for them with the animals of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the creeping things of the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and the battle out of the land, and will make them lie down safely.

19 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.

I will betroth you to me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and in compassion.

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

I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD.

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

It will happen in that day, that I will respond,” says the LORD. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth;

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

and the earth will respond to the grain, and the new wine, and the oil; and they will respond to Jezreel.

23 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.

I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘You are My God!’”