Hosea 1

1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel.

[I am] Hosea, the son of Beeri. Yahweh gave me these messages [at various times] during the years that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah, and Jeroboam the son of Jehoash was the King of Israel.

2 When Yahweh spoke at first through Hosea, he said to him, “Go, take for yourself a wife who is a prostitute. She will have children who are the result of her prostitution. For the land is committing great prostitution by forsaking Yahweh.”

When Yahweh first [began to] give messages to me [to tell to the people of Israel], he said to me, “Go and marry a prostitute. But [some of] her children will be born as a result of her having sex with men to whom she is not married. That will illustrate how the people of Israel have turned away from me and worship (idols/other gods).”

3 So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

So I married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and gave birth to my son.

4 Yahweh said to Hosea, “Call his name Jezreel. For in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Yahweh said to me, “Give him the name Jezreel, [which means ‘God scatters’], because I will soon punish the descendants [MTY] of [King] Jehu [by scattering them], because he killed many of my people at Jezreel [town]. [Some day] I will end the kingdom of Israel,

5 It will happen on the day that I break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

by destroying the power [MTY] of [the army of] Israel in Jezreel Valley.”

6 Gomer conceived again and bore a daughter. Then Yahweh said to Hosea, “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I should forgive them at all.

[Later] Gomer became pregnant [again], and she gave birth to a daughter. Yahweh said to me “Give her the name Lo-ruhamah, [which means ‘not loved],’ because I will no longer [show that I] love the people [MET] of Israel, and I will not forgive them [for the sins that they have committed].

7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by myself, Yahweh their God. I will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”

But I will [show that I] love the people [MTY] of Judah [by saving them from their enemies]. However, it will not be by weapons and armies or horses and chariots that I will save them. Instead, it will be by [the power that I], Yahweh their God, [have].”

8 Now after Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore another son.

After Gomer had (weaned/stopped breast-feeding) Lo-ruhamah, she became pregnant again, and she gave birth to another son.

9 Then Yahweh said, “Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

Yahweh said “Give him the name Lo-ammi, [which means 'not my people', ] because the people of Israel are no [longer my people], and I am not their God.

10 Yet the number of the people of Israel will be like the sand of the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. It will be that where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it will be said to them, 'You are people of the living God.'

But [some day] the people of Israel will be [as numerous] as [SIM] the [grains of] sand on the seashore; no one will be able to count them. Now [I] am saying to them, ‘You are not my people,’ but then people will say to them, ‘[You are the] children of God who is all-powerful.’

11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint one leader for themselves, and they will go up from the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.

[At that time], the people of Judah and the people of Israel will unite. They will appoint one leader for all of them, and they will return from the countries [to which they have been (exiled/forced to go)]. That will be a great time; Jezreel [also means ‘God plants’, and it will be as though God will plant them in this country again].”