Hosea 2

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

So call your brothers, My People, and your sisters, Compassion.

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.

Accuse, accuse your mother: for she is not my wife, and I will not be her husband. Let her put her acts of infidelity out of her sight, and her lovers 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.

else I will strip her bare, expose her as she was on the day of her birth, make her like the wilderness, let her become like a parched land, and let her die of thirst.

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

And on her children I will have no pity, since they are children of adultery,

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 become a prostitute, she who conceived them has behaved shamefully. She has said, “I will go after my lovers who gave me my bread and my water, my wool, 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.

That is why I am going to hedge up her ways with thorns, and build a wall about her, so that she cannot find her paths.

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 pursue her lovers, but will not overtake them. She will seek them, but not find them. In time she will say, “I will go back to my first husband, I was better off then 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.

She herself did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the sweet wine, and the oil, who lavished on her silver and gold – that they used in worshipping 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.

So I will take back my grain at the harvest, and my sweet wine in its season. I will withdraw my wool and my flax, given to cover 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.

and so I will strip her naked before her lovers, and no one shall 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 end all her celebrations, her yearly feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths, all her festivals.

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, of which she says, “These are my wages which my lovers have given me.” I will make them a thicket, and the wild animals will 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.

In this way I will punish her for the days of the Baals, in which she made offerings to them, and decked herself with earrings and jewels, and went after her lovers, but forgot me, – declares the Lord.

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

So I am going to court her, 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 from there her vineyards, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the days when she came up from the land of Egypt.

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

At that time, declares the Lord, you will call me your husband, and will no more call me your 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.

I will remove the name of the Baals from her mouth, their names never again uttered.

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.

On that day I will make for them a covenant with the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the creatures that crawl on the earth. I will break the bow and the sword, banish battle from the land, and I will make them lie down in safety.

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 take you for my wife forever, I will take you for my wife in righteousness, in justice, in kindness, and in mercy.

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

I will take you for my wife in faithfulness, and you will 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,

On that day I will answer – declares the Lord, I will answer the empty skies, and they will answer the dry earth.

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

The earth will answer with grain, and new wine and oil, and they will answer 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.

and I will plant her in the land. I will have compassion to No-Compassion, I will say to Not-My-People, “You are my people,” and they will say, “You are my God.”