Hosea 1

1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea, 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.

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

2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go take to thee a wife addicted to lewdness and children of lewdness; for the land hath committed great lewdness, [departing] from the LORD.

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.”

3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; who conceived, and bore him a son.

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

4 And the LORD 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 cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

6 And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And [God] said to him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.

Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them.

7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”

8 Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.

After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son.

9 Then said [God], Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye [are] not my people, and I will not be your [God].

And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.

10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said to them, Ye [are] not my people, [there] it shall be said to them, [Ye are] the sons of the living God.

Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be assembled, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up from the land: for great [shall be] the day of Jezreel.

Then the people of Judah and of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great will be the day of Jezreel.