Category: Hosea

Hosea’s Wife and Children

1 The word of the Lordthat 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.

2 When the Lordfirst spoke through Hosea, the Lordsaid to him, “Go, take for yourself awife of prostitution and have children of [her] prostitution; for the land commits great acts of prostitution bynot following the Lord.”

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

4 And the Lordsaid to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet in a little while I will avenge the blood [that was shed in the Valley] of Jezreelandinflict the punishment for it on the house ofJehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of thehouse of Israel.

5 On that day I will break the bow [of the military power] of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

6 Then Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lordsaid to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah (not shown mercy), for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them.

7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah and will rescue them by the Lordtheir God, and willnot rescue them by bow, sword, war, horses, or horsemen.”

8 Now when Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son.

9 And the Lordsaid, “Name him Lo-Ammi (not my people), for you are not My people and I am not your God.”

10 Yet the number of thesons of Israel

Shall be like the sand of the sea,

Which cannot be measured or numbered;

And in the place

Where it is said to them,

“You are not My people,”

It will be said to them,

“You arethe sons of the living God.”

11 Then the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together,

And they will appoint for themselves one leader,

And they will go up from the land,

For greatandglorious will be the day ofJezreel.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness Condemned

1 “[Hosea,] say to your brothers, ‘Ammi (you are my people),’ and to your sisters, ‘Ruhamah (you have been pitied and have obtained mercy).’

2 Contend with your mother (nation); contend,

For she is not my wife and I am not her husband;

And have her remove her [marks of] prostitution from her face

And her adultery from between her breasts

3 Or I will strip her naked

And expose her as on the day she was born,

And make her like a wilderness

And make her like a parched land

And slay her with thirst.

4 Also, I will have no mercy on her children,

Because they are the children of prostitution.

5 For their mother has played the prostitute;

She who conceived them has acted shamefully,

For she said, ‘I will pursue my lovers

Who give me my food and my water,

My wool and my flax, my oil and my [refreshing] drinks.’

6 Therefore, behold, I [the LordGod] will hedge up her way with thorns;

And I will build a wall against her [shutting off her way] so that she cannot find her paths.

7 She will [passionately] pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them;

And she will seek them, but will not find them.

Then she will say, ‘Let me go and return to my first husband,

For it was better for me then than now!’

8 “For she (Israel) has not noticednorunderstoodnorrealized that it was I [the LordGod] who gave her the grain and the new wine and the oil,

And lavished on her silver and gold,

Which they used for Baalandmade into his image.

9 Therefore, I will returnandtake back My grain at harvest time

And My new wine in its season.

I will also take away My wool and My flax

Givento cover her nakedness.

10 And now I will uncover her lewdnessandshame

In the sight of her lovers,

And no one will rescue her from My hand.

11 I will also put an end to all her rejoicing,

Her feasts, her New Moons, her Sabbaths,

And all her festivals.

12 I will destroy her vines and her fig trees

Of which she has said, ‘These are my wages

Which my lovers have given me.’

And I will make them a forest,

And the animals of the open country will devour them.

13 And I will punish her for the [feast] days of the Baals,

When she used to offer sacrificesandburn incense to them

And adorn herself with her earringsandnose rings and her jewelry,

And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” says the Lord.

Restoration of Israel

14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure Israel

And bring her into the wilderness,

And I will speak tenderly to her [to reconcile her to Me].

15 Then I will give her her vineyards from there,

And make the Valley of Achor a door of hopeandexpectation [anticipating the time when I will restore My favor on her].

And she will sing thereandrespond as in the days of her youth

As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

16 It shall come about in that day,” says the Lord,

“That you will call Me Ishi (my husband)

And will no longer call Me Baali (myBaal).

17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth,

So that they will no longer be mentionedorremembered by their names.

18 And in that day I will make a covenant for Israel

With the animals of the open country

And with the birds of the heavens

And with the creeping things of the ground.

And I will abolish the bow and the sword and [banish] war from the land

And will make them lie down in safety.

19 And I will betroth you (Israel) to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,

In lovingkindnessandloyalty, and in compassion.

20 I will betroth you to Me in stabilityandin faithfulness.

Then you will know (recognize, appreciate) the Lord[and respond with loving faithfulness].

21 “It will come about in that day that I will respond,” says the Lord.

“I will respond to the heavens [which ask for rain to pour on the earth], and they will respond to the earth [which begs for the rain],

22 And the earth shall respond to the grain and the new wine and the oil [which beg it to bring them forth],

And they will respond to Jezreel [My Israel, who will now be restored].

23 I will sow her for Myself in the land.

I will also have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy;

And I will say to those who were not My people,

‘You are My people,’

And they will say, ‘You aremy God!’ ”

Hosea’s Second Symbolic Marriage

1 Then the Lordsaid to me, “Go again, love a woman (Gomer) who is beloved by her husband and yet is an adulteress, even as the Lordloves thechildren of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love the raisin cakes [used in the feasts in pagan worship].”

2 So I bought her for myself forfifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley [the price of a common slave].

3 And I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the prostitute nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you [until you have proved your faithfulness].”

4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or [idolatrous] pillar, and withoutephod or teraphim (household idols).

5 Afterward the sons of Israel will return [in deep repentance] and seek the Lordtheir God and [seek from the line of] David their king [the King of kings—the Messiah]; and they will come trembling to the Lordand to His goodnessandblessing in the last days.

God’s Controversy with Israel

1 Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel,

For the Lordhas a [legal] case with the inhabitants of the land,

Because there is no faithfulness [no steadfast love, no dependability] or loyaltyorkindness

Or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land.

2 There is [false] swearingof oaths, deception (broken faith), murder, stealing, and adultery;

They employ violence, so that one [act of] bloodshed follows closely on another.

3 Therefore the land [continually] mourns,

And everyone who lives in it languishes [in tragic suffering]

Together with the animals of the open country and the birds of the heavens;

Even the fish of the sea disappear.

4 Yet let no one find fault, nor let any rebuke [others];

For your people are like those who contend with the priest.

5 So you will stumble in the daytime,

And the [false] prophet will also stumble with you in the night;

And I will destroy your mother (Israel).

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will].

Because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge,

I will also reject you from being My priest.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I will also forget your children.

7 The more they multiplied [in numbers and increased in power], the more they sinned against Me;

I will change their glory into shame.

8 They (the priests)feed on the sin offering of My people

And set their heart on their wickedness.

9 And it shall be: like people, like priest [both are wicked and both will be judged];

So I will punish them for their ways

And repay them for their deeds.

10 They will eat, but not have enough;

They will play the prostitute, but not increase [their descendants],

Because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.

11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away the mindandthe [spiritual] understanding.

12 My people consult their [lifeless] wooden idol, and their [diviner’s] wand gives them oracles.

For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray [morally and spiritually],

And they have played the prostitute,withdrawing themselvesfrom their God.

13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains

And burn incense on the hills,

Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,

Because the shade is pleasant there.

Therefore your daughters play the prostitute

And your brides commit adultery.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute

Or your brides when they commit adultery,

For the men themselves slip away with prostitutes,

And they offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes [who give their bodies in honor of the idol].

So the people without understanding [stumble and fall and] come to ruin.

15 Though you, Israel, play the prostitute [by worshiping idols],

Do not let Judah become guilty [of the same thing];

And do not go to Gilgal [where idols are worshiped],

Or go up toBeth-aven (House of Wickedness),

Nor swear [oaths in idolatrous worship, saying],

“As the Lordlives!”

16 For Israel is stubborn,

Like a stubborn heifer.

Can the Lordnow pasture them

Like a lamb in a large field?

17 Ephraim is joined to idols,

So let him alone [to suffer the consequences].

18 When their liquor is gone [and their drinking parties are over],

They habitually go to play the prostitute;

Ephraim’s rulers continue to dearly love shame [more than her glory which is the Lord, Israel’s God].

19 The wind [of God’s relentless wrath] has wrapped up Israel in its wings,

And [in captivity] they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices [to calves, to sun, to moon, to stars, and to pagan gods].

The People’s Apostasy Rebuked

1 Hear thisandpay close attention, O priests!

Give heed, O house of Israel!

Listen, O house of the king!

For the [pronounced] judgment pertains to youandis meant for you to hear,

Because you have been a snare at Mizpah

And a net spread out over Tabor (military strongholds on either side of the Jordan River).

2 The revolters have gone deep into depravity,

But I [the LordGod] will chastise them all.

3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me;

For now, O Ephraim, you have played the prostituteandhave worshiped idols;

Israel has defiled itself.

4 Their [immoral] practices will not permit them

To return to their God,

For the spirit of prostitution is within them

And they do not know the Lord[they do not recognize, appreciate, heed or cherish Him].

5 But the prideandself-reliance of Israel testifies against him.

Therefore Israel, and [especially]Ephraim, stumbleandfall in their wickednessandguilt;

Judah also has stumbled with them.

6 They will go with their flocks and with their herds

To seek the Lord[diligently searching for Him], but they will not find Him;

He has withdrawn from them [refusing to hear the prayers of the unrepentant].

7 They have dealt treacherously against the Lord,

For they have borne illegitimate (pagan) children.

Now theNew Moon will devour them along with their land [bringing judgment and captivity].

8 Blow the horn in Gibeah,

The trumpet in Ramah [the lofty hills on Benjamin’s northern border].

Sound the alarm at Beth-aven:

“Behind youandcoming after you [is the enemy], O Benjamin [be on guard]!”

9 Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke;

Among the tribes of Israel I declare what is certain.

10 The princes of Judah are like those whomove a boundarymarker;

I will pour out My wrath on them like [an unrestrained flood of] water.

11 Ephraim is oppressed; he is brokenandcrushed by [divine] judgment,

Because he was determined to followman’scommand(vanities, filth, secular precepts).

12 Therefore I am like a moth to Ephraim

And like dry rot to the house of Judah [in My judgment against them].

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,

And Judah his wound,

Then Ephraim went to Assyria [instead of the Lord]

And sent to [Assyria’s] great King Jareb [for help].

But he cannot heal you

Nor will he cure you of your wound [received in judgment].

14 For Iwill belike a lion to Ephraim

And like a young lion to the house of Judah.

I, even I, will tear to pieces and go on [tearing];

I will carry off [the prey] and there will be no one to rescuethem.

15 I will go away and return to My place [on high]

Until they acknowledge their offenseandbear their guilt and seek My face;

In their distress they will earnestly seek Me,saying,

The Response to God’s Rebuke

1 “Come and let us return [in repentance] to the Lord,

For He has torn us, but He will heal us;

He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.

2 After two days He will revive us;

On the third day He will raise us up

That we may live before Him.

3 So let us knowandbecome personally acquainted with Him; let us press on to knowandunderstand fully the [greatness of the] Lord[to honor, heed, and deeply cherish Him].

His appearing is preparedandis as certain as the dawn,

And He will come to us [in salvation] like the [heavy] rain,

Like the spring rain watering the earth.”

The Reply of the Lord

4 O Ephraim, what shall I do with you?

O Judah, what shall I do with you?

For your [wavering] loyaltyandkindness are [transient] like the morning cloud

And like the dew that goes away early.

5 Therefore, I have hewn them in pieces by [the words of] the prophets;

I have slain them by the words of My mouth;

My judgments [pronounced upon them by the prophets] are like the light that shines forth [obvious to all].

6 For I desireanddelight in [steadfast] loyalty [faithfulness in the covenant relationship], rather than sacrifice,

And in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7 But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant;

There they have dealt treacherously against Me.

8 Gilead is a city of wrongdoers;

It is tracked with bloodyfootprints.

9 And as bands of robbers [lie in] wait for a man,

So a band of priests murder on the road towardShechem [covering their crimes in that city of refuge];

Certainly they have committed crimesandoutrages.

10 I have seen a horrible thing [sins of every kind] in the house of Israel!

Ephraim’s prostitution (idolatry) is there; Israel has defiled itself.

11 Also, O Judah, there is a harvest [of divine judgment] appointed for you,

When I restore the fortunes of My people [who have been slaves to the misery of sin].

Ephraim’s Sin

1 When I would heal Israel,

The sin (guilt) of Ephraim is uncovered,

And the wickedness ofSamaria,

Because they practice false dealing;

The thief enters,

Bandits ravageandraid outside.

2 But they do not consider in their hearts (minds)

That I remember [always] all their wickedness.

Now their deeds surroundandentangle them;

They are before My face.

3 They make the king glad with their wickedness,

And the princes with their lies.

4 They are all adulterers;

Like the heat of an oven

When the baker ceases to stirthe fire,[their passion smolders]

From the kneading of the dough until it is leavened.

5 On the [special] day of our king, the princes became sick with the heat of wine;

The king stretched out his hand [in association] with scoffers (lawless people).

6 As they approach their plotting,

Their mind burns [with intrigue] like an oven [while they lie in wait].

Their anger smolders all night;

In the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

7 They are all hot like an oven

And they consume their judges (rulers);

All their kings have fallen.

There is no one among them who calls to Me.

8 Ephraim mixes himself with the [Gentile] nations [seeking favor with one country, then another];

Ephraim is a cake not turned [worthless; ready to be thrown away].

9 Strangers have devoured his strength,

Yet he does not know it;

Gray hairs are sprinkled on him,

Yet he does not know.

10 Though the pride of Israel testifies against him,

Yet they do not return [in repentance] to the Lordtheir God,

Nor seeknorsearch fornordesire Him [as essential] in spite of all this.

11 Ephraim also is like a silly dove, without heartorgood sense;

They call to Egypt [for help], they go to Assyria.

12 When they go, I will spread My net over them;

I will bring them down like birds of the heavens [into Assyrian captivity].

I will chastise them in accordance with the proclamation (prophecy) to their congregation.

13 Woe (judgment is coming) to them, for they have wandered away from Me!

Devastation is theirs, because they have rebelledandtrespassed against Me!

I would redeem them, but they speak lies against Me.

14 They do not cry out to Me from their heart

When they wail on their beds [in unbelieving despair];

For the sake of grain and new wine theyassemble themselves [as if worshiping Baal];

They rebel against Me.

15 Although I trained and strengthened their arms [for victory over their enemies],

Yet they devise evil against Me.

16 They turn, but they do not turn upward to the Most High.

They are like a poorly crafted bow [that misses the mark];

Their princes shall fall by the sword

Because of the insolence of their tongue.

Thiswill because for their mockeryanddisdain in the land of Egypt.

Israel Reaps the Whirlwind

1 Set the trumpet to your lips [announcing impending judgment]!

Like a [great] vulturethe enemy comesagainst the house of the Lord,

Because they have broken My covenant

And transgressedandrebelled against My law.

2 Then they will cry out to Me,

“My God, we of Israel know You!”

3 Israel has rejected the good;

The enemy shall pursue him.

4 They set up kings, but not from Me [therefore without My blessing];

They have appointed princes, but I did not know it.

With their silver and their gold they made idols for themselves,

That they might be cut off.

5 He has rejected your [pagan] calf, O Samaria,saying,

“My wrath burns against them.”

How long will they be incapable of innocence?

6 For even this [loathsome calf] is from Israel.

A craftsman made it, so it is not God;

Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to piecesandgo up in flames.

7 For they sow the wind [in evil]

And they reap the whirlwind [in disaster].

The standing grain has no growth;

It yields no grain.

If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it up.

8 Israel is [as if] swallowed up [by enemies];

They are now among the nations

Like a vessel [of cheap, coarse pottery] that is useless.

9 For they have gone up to Assyria,

Like a wild donkey wandering aloneandtaking her own way;

Ephraim has hired lovers (pagan allies).

10 Yes, even though [with presents] they hirealliesamong the nations,

Now I will gather them up;

And [in a little while] they will beginto grow weakanddiminish

Because of the burden imposed by the king of princes [the king of Assyria].

11 For Ephraim has constructed many altars for sin;

They are altars intended for sinning [which multiply his guilt].

12 I wrote for him the ten thousandpreceptsof My law,

But they are regarded as a strange thing [which does not concern him].

13 As for My sacrificial offerings,

They sacrifice the meat [as a mere formality] and eat it,

But the Lordis not pleased with themanddoes not accept them.

Now He will rememberandtake into account their wickednessandguilt,

And punish them for their sins.

They will return [in captivity] to [another] Egypt [that is, Assyria].

14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces [and pagan temples],

And Judah has built many fortified cities;

But I will send a fire upon their cities so that it may consume their palacesandfortresses.

Ephraim Punished

1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation as do the [pagan] peoples,

For you have played the prostitute,turningaway from your God.

You have lovedprostitutes’earnings on every threshing floor [attributing the harvest to the Baals instead of to God].

2 The threshing floor and the wine press will no longer feed them,

And the new wine will fail them [because they failed to honor the God who provides].

3 They will not remain in the land of the Lord,

But Ephraim will return to [another] Egypt [in bondage]

And they will eat [ceremonially] uncleanfoodin Assyria.

4 They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the Lord;

Their sacrifices will not please Him.

Their bread will belike mourners’ bread [eaten at funerals];

All who eat it will be [ceremonially] unclean,

For their bread will be for themselves;

It will not enter the house of the Lord[to be consecrated].

5 What will you do on the day of the appointed festival

And on the day of the feast of the Lord[when you are in exile]?

6 For behold, they will go away because of devastationanddestruction;

Egypt will gather them up, Memphis will bury them.

Weeds will take over their treasures of silver;

Thornswill growin their tents.

7 The days of punishment have come;

The days of retribution are at hand;

Let Israel know this!

The prophet is [considered] a fool;

The man [of God] who is inspired is [treated as if] demented,

Because of the abundance of your wickednessandguilt,

Andbecauseyour deep antagonism [toward God and the prophets] is so great.

8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a [true] prophet [to warn the nation];

But the snare of a bird catcher was laid in all his paths.

And there isonlydeep hostility in the house of his God (the land of Israel).

9 They have deeply corrupted (perverted) themselves

As in the days of Gibeah.

The Lordwill remember their wickednessandguilt;

He will punish their sins.

10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness [an unexpected and refreshing delight];

I saw your fathers (ancestors) as the first ripe fruit on the fig tree in its firstseason,

But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to shamefulness [the worship of Baal],

And [because of their spiritual and physical adultery] they became as detestableandloathsome as the thing they loved.

11 As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird;

No birth, no pregnancy, and [because of their impurity] no conception.

12 Even though they bring up their children,

Yet I will bereave them until not one is left.

Indeed, woe (judgment is coming) to them when I look awayandwithdraw [My blessing] from them!

13 Ephraim, as I have seen,

Is planted in a pleasant [and prosperous] meadow like Tyre;

But Ephraim will bring out his children to the executioner [for slaughter].

14 Give them [the punishment they deserve], O Lord! What will You give?

Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

15 All their wickedness [says the Lord] is focused in Gilgal;

Indeed, I came to hate them there!

Because of the wickedness of their [idolatrous] practices

I will drive them out of My house (the land of Israel)!

I will love them no longer;

All their princes are rebels.

16 Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up,

They will bear no fruit.

Even though they give birth,

I will slay the precious children of their womb.

17 My God will reject themandcast them away

Because they did not listen to Him;

And they will be wanderers (fugitives) among the nations.

Retribution for Israel’s Sin

1 Israel is a luxuriantandprolific vine;

He produces fruit for himself.

The more his fruit,

The more altars he made [to Baal];

The richer his land,

The better he made the [idolatrous] pillars.

2 Their heart is divided (faithless);

Now they must bear their guiltandpunishment.

The Lordwill break down [the horns of] their altars;

He will destroy theiridolatrouspillars.

3 Surely now they will say [in despair], “We have no [true] king,

For we do not revere the Lord;

And as for the king, what can he do for us [to rescue us]?”

4 They have spokenempty (disingenuous)words,

Swearing falsely to make covenants [they intend to break];

Therefore, judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.

5 The people of Samaria will fearandtremble

For the [idolatrous] calf ofBeth-aven (House of Wickedness).

Indeed, its people will mourn over it

And its idolatrous priests will cry outandwail over it,

Over its glory, because the glory [of their calf god] has departed from it.

6 The golden calf itself will be carried to Assyria

As tribute to King Jareb;

Ephraim will be seized with shame

And Israel will be ashamed of his own counsel [to worship the calf and separate Israel from Judah].

7 As for Samaria, her king will be cut offandfloat away

Like a twig on the surface of the water.

8 Also the high places of Aven (Beth-aven), the sin of Israel, will be destroyed;

The thorn and the thistle will grow on their [pagan] altars,

And [in despair] they will say to the mountains,

“Cover us!” And to the hills, “Fall on us!”

9 O Israel, you have [willfully] sinned since the days of Gibeah;

There they (Israel) stand!

Will not the battle against the sons of wickedness overtake them at Gibeah?

10 When it is my desire [to defend My righteousness], I will chastise them;

And [hostile] peoples will be gathered against them

When they are boundandpunished for their double guilt [their revolt against the Lordand their worship of idols].

11 Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to tread out the grain,

But I will come over her fair neckwith a heavy yoke[for hard field work].

I will harness Ephraim;

Judah will plow and Jacob will harrowandrake for himself.

12 Sow with a view to righteousness [that righteousness, like seed, may germinate];

Reap in accordance with mercyandlovingkindness.

Break up your uncultivated ground,

For it is time to seekandsearch diligently for the Lord[and to long for His blessing]

Until He comes to rain righteousnessandHis gift of salvation on you.

13 You have plowedandplanted wickedness, you have reaped the [willful] injustice [of oppressors],

You have eaten the fruit of lies.

Because you have trusted in your own wayandyour chariots, and in your many warriors,

14 Therefore an uproar will arise among your people,

And all your fortresses will be destroyed,

As Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle,

When mothers were dashed in pieces with their children.

15 In this way it will be done to you at [idolatrous] Bethel because of your great wickedness;

At daybreak the king of Israel will be completely cut off.