הושע 2

1 אמרו לאחיכם עמי ולאחותיכם רחמה

[At that time, ] you will say to your fellow-Israeli men, “[You are] God’s people,” and [you will say] to your fellow-Israeli women, “You are ones whom God loves.”

2 ריבו באמכם ריבו--כי היא לא אשתי ואנכי לא אישה ותסר זנוניה מפניה ונאפופיה מבין שדיה

[Yahweh also said to me], “I want you to accuse the Israeli people. [It is as though] [MET] this nation is your mother, but this nation is [no longer as though it is] [MET] my wife, and it is [no longer as though] [MET] I am its husband. Tell the Israeli people that they must stop [acting like] a prostitute [by worshiping other gods]; they must stop showing by their behavior that they (are unfaithful to/have abandoned) [me] [MET].

3 פן אפשיטנה ערמה--והצגתיה כיום הולדה ושמתיה כמדבר ושתה כארץ ציה והמתיה בצמא

If they do not do that, I will not give them [food and] clothes [as a husband should give to his wife]; I will take away those things, and I will cause their nation to become [as deserted] as it was on the day that I [brought their ancestors out of Egypt and caused them to become a nation] [MET]. I will cause their country to be like [SIM] a desert; there will be no rain to water the ground [MET].

4 ואת בניה לא ארחם כי בני זנונים המה

I will not pity the people, because they have [abandoned me] as [MET] prostitutes abandon their husbands.

5 כי זנתה אמם הבישה הורתם כי אמרה אלכה אחרי מאהבי נתני לחמי ומימי צמרי ופשתי שמני ושקויי

Their parents are like prostitutes [MET]: they have been unfaithful [to me], and they have done [very] disgraceful things. They said, ‘We will run to [our idols/gods] who love us; [they are the ones] who give us food and water and wool and linen and [olive] oil, and [wine to] drink.’

6 לכן הנני שך את דרכך בסירים וגדרתי את גדרה ונתיבותיה לא תמצא

So [it will be as though] [MET] I am blocking their road with thornbushes, and putting put a wall around them so that they do not know which way to go.

7 ורדפה את מאהביה ולא תשיג אתם ובקשתם ולא תמצא ואמרה אלכה ואשובה אל אישי הראשון--כי טוב לי אז מעתה

They will run to their idols/gods that [they think] love them, but they will not find them. They will search for their false gods, but they will not find them. Then they will say, ‘[Perhaps] we should return to [Yahweh], whom we worshiped previously [MET], because things were better for us then than they are now.’

8 והיא לא ידעה כי אנכי נתתי לה הדגן והתירוש והיצהר וכסף הרביתי לה וזהב עשו לבעל

But they do not realize that I, [Yahweh], am the one who gave them grain and wine and [olive] oil; I am the one who gave them silver and gold which they used to worship Baal.

9 לכן אשוב--ולקחתי דגני בעתו ותירושי במועדו והצלתי צמרי ופשתי לכסות את ערותה

Therefore I will return and take my grain and grapes from them when they are ripe. I will take from them the wool and linen that I gave to them [to make their clothes] [MTY].

10 ועתה אגלה את נבלתה לעיני מאהביה ואיש לא יצילנה מידי

I will show those false gods/idols that what my people are doing is disgusting [MET], and no one will be able to hinder me from [punishing them].

11 והשבתי כל משושה חגה חדשה ושבתה--וכל מועדה

I will cause their religious celebrations to cease, the festivals that they celebrate every year and at every new moon and on their (Sabbath days/weekly days of rest). I will cause all their religious celebrations to cease.

12 והשמתי גפנה ותאנתה אשר אמרה אתנה המה לי אשר נתנו לי מאהבי ושמתים ליער ואכלתם חית השדה

I will destroy [all] their grapevines and fig trees, which they said were what their [idols/gods] who loved them paid them for worshiping those idols. I will cause those places to become a desert, and wild animals will eat the fruit [that remains].

13 ופקדתי עליה את ימי הבעלים אשר תקטיר להם ותעד נזמה וחליתה ותלך אחרי מאהביה ואתי שכחה נאם יהוה

I will punish my people for [all] the times that they burned incense to [honor] the idols of Baal. They decorated themselves with rings and jewelry, and they went to worship those [false gods/idols] that [they thought] [IRO] loved them, but they abandoned/forgot me! [That is what I], Yahweh, say.

14 לכן הנה אנכי מפתיה והלכתיה המדבר ודברתי על לבה

But listen! [Some day] I will persuade my people [to worship me again]; I will lead them [out] into the desert and speak kindly to them [there].

15 ונתתי לה את כרמיה משם ואת עמק עכור לפתח תקוה וענתה שמה כימי נעוריה וכיום עלותה מארץ מצרים

I will give their vineyards [back] to them, and I will cause Achor Valley, [which means ‘valley of trouble'], to become a valley where they will confidently expect [me to do good things for them]. They will (respond to/want to please) me there like they did long ago, when I freed them from [being slaves in] Egypt.

16 והיה ביום ההוא נאם יהוה תקראי אישי ולא תקראי לי עוד בעלי

At that time, they will say to me, ‘[It is as though] [MET] you are our husband.’ They will not say that I am their [master, like they considered that] Baal [was].

17 והסרתי את שמות הבעלים מפיה ולא יזכרו עוד בשמם

I will not allow them to speak [MTY] the names of Baal; they will never use those names again.

18 וכרתי להם ברית ביום ההוא עם חית השדה ועם עוף השמים ורמש האדמה וקשת וחרב ומלחמה אשבור מן הארץ והשכבתים לבטח

At that time [it will be as though] I will make an agreement with [all] the wild animals and birds, and [even with] the little animals that scurry across the ground, so that they will never harm my people [again]. And I will remove from their nation all the weapons [for fighting] battles, [like] swords and bows [and arrows]. The result will be that my people will live peacefully and safely, and will not be afraid.

19 וארשתיך לי לעולם וארשתיך לי בצדק ובמשפט ובחסד וברחמים

I will cause them to be [as though they are] [MET] my bride forever. I will be righteous and fair/just; I will faithfully love them and be kind to them.

20 וארשתיך לי באמונה וידעת את יהוה

I will not abandon them, and they will realize [that I] Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do.]

21 והיה ביום ההוא אענה נאם יהוה--אענה את השמים והם יענו את הארץ

At that time, [when they request me to do things for them], [I will do those things]. When they request clouds and rain to fall on their land, I will speak to the clouds, and rain will fall on the earth,

22 והארץ תענה את הדגן ואת התירוש ואת היצהר והם יענו את יזרעאל

and grain will grow, and the vineyards and the olive trees will grow in Jezreel [Valley].

23 וזרעתיה לי בארץ ורחמתי את לא רחמה ואמרתי ללא עמי עמי אתה והוא יאמר אלהי

[At that time], I will take care of the Israeli people [like a farmer plants and takes care of his crops] [MET]. I will love those people that I previously said were ones I did not love, and I previously said, ‘You are not my people,’ and [then] they will say to me, ‘You are our God.’”