< 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.
The Lord’s message to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah and during the reign of King Jeroboam, son of Joash of Israel.
2 The beginning of the Lord’s conversation with Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea: “Go, take to yourself a wife of fornications, and make for yourself sons of fornications, because, by fornicating, the land will fornicate away from the Lord.”
When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, he said to him: “Go marry an unfaithful woman who will bear you children by her adultery, for like an adulterous wife the land is unfaithful to the Lord.”
3 And he went out and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived and bore him a son.
So he married Gomer, the daughter of Dibliam, and when she conceived and bore him a son,
4 And the Lord said to him: “Call his name Jezreel because, after a little while, I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put the kingdom of the house of Israel to rest.
the Lord said: “Call him ‘Jezreel,’ for in a little while I will punish the dynasty of Jehu for the blood shed at the valley of Jezreel, I will cause the kingdom of Israel to cease.
5 And in that day, I will crush the stronghold of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”
On that day, I will break Israel’s bows and arrows in the valley of Jezreel.”
6 And after a while, she conceived and bore a daughter. And he said to him: “Call her name, Without Mercy, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly forget them.
When she conceived again and bore a daughter, the Lord said to Hosea: “Call her Lo-Ruhamah – ‘No-Compassion’ for I will no longer have compassion on Israel, certainly not spare them.
7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. And I will not save them by bow and sword and battle and horses and horsemen.”
But on Judah I will have compassion, I will deliver them by the Lord their God, but I will not deliver them by bow nor by sword, nor by battle nor by horses nor by horsemen.”
8 And she weaned her, who was called Without Mercy. And she conceived and bore a son.
After she had weaned No-Compassion, and when she conceived and bore a son, he said:
9 And he said: “Call his name, Not My People, for you are not my people, and I will not be yours.
“Call him Lo-Ammi – ‘Not-My-People’ for you, Israel, are not my people, and I indeed am not your God.”
10 And the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which is without measure and cannot be numbered. And in the place where it will be said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ this will happen: it will be said to them, ‘You are the sons of the living God.’
Yet the number of the Israelites will be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted, and where they were told, “You are not my people,” they will be called, “children of the living God.”
11 And the sons of Judah, and the sons of Israel, will be gathered together. And they will place over themselves one head, and they will rise up from the earth, for great is the day of Jezreel.”
The Judeans and the Israelites will join together again, will appoint for themselves one leader, will return to their own land. Great will be the day of Jezreel!

< Hosea 1 >