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2 Then you will tell your brothers, ‘Ammi: you are my people.’ You will tell your sisters, ‘Ruhamah: he loves you.’

The Lord warns the Israelites

2 My children, warn your mother! [ a ] She is no longer my wife. I am not her husband. Tell her that she must stop living like a prostitute. She must stop having sex with other men instead of me. 3 If she does not return to me, I will remove all her clothes. She will have nothing to wear, like the day when she was born. She will be ashamed. Her life will be useless and empty, like a dry land that has no water. Then I will leave her to die because she has no water to drink. 4 I will not show love to her children, because she became pregnant with them as a prostitute. 5 Yes, their mother has lived as a prostitute. She became pregnant because she had sex with other men instead of with her husband. She should be ashamed. She herself said, ‘I will go and sleep with my lovers. They give me food and water. They give me wool, linen, olive oil and wine.’ [ b ]

6 So I will stop her living like that. I will put thorn bushes around her, like a wall. Then she will not be able to go anywhere that she likes. 7 She will run after her lovers, but she will not catch them. She will look for them, but she will not find them. Then she will say, ‘Now I will return to my husband, as before. Life was better for me then than it is now.’

8 She did not realize that I was the one who gave her everything that she needed. I gave her grain, wine and olive oil. I even gave her lots of silver and gold. But she used my gifts to worship Baal instead of me. 9 So now I will take back the grain and the new wine that I gave her at harvest time. I will take away the wool and the linen. She will have no clothes to cover her bare body. 10 I will remove her clothes for all her lovers to see her as she really is. Nobody will be able to rescue her from my power.

11 I will stop the festivals that she enjoys each year. I will stop her feasts at the times of a new moon and on Sabbath days. I will stop all her parties. [ c ] 12 I will destroy her vines and her fig trees. She said that those were the things that her lovers paid to her. But I will make her gardens become like a forest. Only wild animals will eat the fruit from those trees. 13 I will punish her because she burned incense to the idols of Baal. I will punish her because she made herself beautiful with jewels when she went to sleep with her lovers. I will punish her because she did those things but she forgot about me.

That is what the Lord says.

The Lord still loves his people

14 But listen! One day, I will speak kind words to her. I will lead her into the wilderness. I will tell her that I love her. [ d ] 15 There, I will give her the vineyards that she had before. I will change Trouble Valley into a place where there is hope. [ e ] She will be happy with me there, as she was when she was young. That was the time when she came out of Egypt. [ f ]

16 The Lord says this: When that happens, you will call me, ‘My husband’. You will never again call me, ‘Baal, my master’. 17 I will never again let you speak the names of the idols of Baal.

18 At that time, I will make a promise that nothing will hurt my people. I will make an agreement with the wild animals, with the birds in the fields and with the animals that move along the ground. I will remove from their land all the weapons that soldiers use to fight wars. I will destroy their swords and their bows and arrows. I will allow my people to live safely in peace.

19 Israel, I will make you my wife for ever.
I will promise to help you in a way that is right and fair.
I will be kind to you with a faithful love. [ g ]
20 I will promise to be a faithful husband for you.
Then you will know me as the Lord .

21 The Lord says this:

At that time, I will answer your prayers.
I will put clouds in the sky,
and the clouds will send rain to the earth.
22 The earth will feed the grain, the wine and the olive oil.
My people will be happy to say, ‘Jezreel: God plants.’
23 I will plant them safely in the land.
I will show love to ‘No love’ (Lo-Ruhamah).
I will say to ‘Not my people’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people.’ [ h ]
And they will say to me, ‘You are my God.’

Footnotes

  1. 2:2 Here, Hosea is saying things in a special way. When he says ‘your mother’, he means the people of Israel. They have not been faithful to him, like Gomer has not been a faithful wife to Hosea. God is like a judge who will punish his people. Their land will become useless, like a desert.
  2. 2:5 Israel is like a girl. When she was born, she had nothing. God gave her the things that she needed to live. Later, she stopped being faithful to God. The men that she loved were false gods. But God wants her to return to him.
  3. 2:11 The festivals were special days when the people worshipped God. But God was angry because Israel's festivals became days for the god, Baal. The god, Baal was an idol. God wanted people to rest on a special day. But this, too, became a day for special meals.
  4. 2:14 The wilderness was the place where God first became like Israel's husband. See verses 16, 19, 20.
  5. 2:15 Trouble Valley (the valley of Achor) was the place where an Israelite man did not obey God. See Joshua 7:24-26 .
  6. 2:15 The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. God rescued them and they travelled through the wilderness to the special land that God would give them as their new home.
  7. 2:19 The Lord is speaking to Israel as if she is his wife.
  8. 2:23 Lo-Ruhamah means ‘No love’. Lo-Ammi means ‘Not my people’. See Hosea 1:6-9 .

2 “Then you will say to your brothers, ‘You are my people,’ and you will say to your sisters, ‘He has shown mercy to you.’” [ a ]

2 “Argue with your mother. [ b ] Argue with her because she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband! Tell her to stop being like a prostitute. Tell her to take away her lovers [ c ] from between her breasts. 3 If she refuses to stop her adultery, I will strip her naked and leave her like the day she was born. I will take away her people, and she will be like an empty, dry desert. I will kill her with thirst. 4 I will have no pity on her children because they are the children of prostitution. 5 Their mother has acted like a prostitute. She should be ashamed of what she did. She said, ‘I will go to my lovers, [ d ] who give me food and water, wool and linen, wine and olive oil.’

6 “So I, the Lord, will block Israel’s road with thorns, and I will build a wall. Then she will not be able to find her path. 7 She will run after her lovers, but she will not be able to catch up with them. She will look for her lovers, but she will not be able to find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband. Life was better for me when I was with him. Life was better then than it is now.’

8 “Israel didn’t know that I, the Lord, was the one who gave her grain, wine, and oil. I kept giving her more and more silver and gold, but she used this silver and gold to make statues of Baal. 9 So I will return and take back my grain at the time it is ready to be harvested. I will take back my wine at the time the grapes are ready. I will take back my wool and linen. I gave those things to her so that she could cover her naked body. 10 Now I will strip her. She will be naked, so all her lovers can see her. No one will be able to save her from my power. [ e ] 11 I will take away all her fun. I will stop her festivals, her New Moon celebrations, and her days of rest. I will stop all her special feasts. 12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees. She said, ‘My lovers gave these things to me.’ But I will change her gardens—they will become like a wild forest. Wild animals will come and eat from those plants.

13 “Israel served false gods, [ f ] so I will punish her. She burned incense to those false gods. She dressed up—she put on her jewelry and nose ring. Then she went to her lovers and forgot me.” This is what the Lord has said.

14 “So I, the Lord, will speak romantic words to her. I will lead her into the desert and speak tender words. 15 There I will give her vineyards. I will give her Achor Valley as a doorway of hope. Then she will answer as she did when she came out of the land of Egypt.” 16 This is what the Lord says.

“At that time you will call me ‘My husband.’ You will not call me ‘My Baal.’ [ g ] 17 I will take the names of those false gods out of her mouth. Then people will not use those names again.

18 “At that time I will make an agreement for the Israelites with the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the crawling things on the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and the weapons of war in that land. I will make the land safe, so the people of Israel can lie down in peace. 19 And I will make you my bride forever. I will make you my bride with goodness and justice and with love and mercy. 20 I will make you my faithful bride. Then you will really know the Lord . 21 And at that time I will answer.” This is what the Lord says.

“I will speak to the skies,
and they will give rain to the earth.
22 The earth will produce grain, wine, and oil,
and they will meet Jezreel’s needs.
23 I will sow her many seeds [ h ] on her land.
To Lo-Ruhamah, [ i ] I will show mercy.
To Lo-Ammi, [ j ] I will say, ‘You are my people.’
And they will say to me, ‘You are our God.’”

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:1 Or “Then say to your brothers, ‘My people,’ and to your sisters, ‘You have been shown mercy.’”
  2. Hosea 2:2 mother This means the nation of Israel.
  3. Hosea 2:2 her lovers Or “adulteries.” Adultery means breaking a marriage promise by sexual sin. God was like a husband to Israel. But Israel was worshiping false gods—this was spiritual adultery against God.
  4. Hosea 2:5 lovers This means Israel’s false gods. Also in verses 7, 10, 13.
  5. Hosea 2:10 power Literally, “hand.”
  6. Hosea 2:13 false gods Literally, “Baals.”
  7. Hosea 2:16 My Baal This is a wordplay. Baal was a Canaanite god, but the name also means “lord or husband.”
  8. Hosea 2:23 I will sow her many seeds Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, and Lo-Ammi are Hosea’s children. But the names also have special meanings. The name Jezreel means “God will plant seeds.” But Jezreel is also the name of a large valley in Israel. This probably shows that God will bring his people back to Israel.
  9. Hosea 2:23 Lo-Ruhamah This name in Hebrew means “She receives no mercy.”
  10. Hosea 2:23 Lo-Ammi This name in Hebrew means “not my people.”

2 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.

10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.

12 And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord .

14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16 And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord , that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord .

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord , I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.

23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Israel’s Unfaithfulness Condemned

2 [ a ] Say to your brothers, “ [ b ] Ammi,” and to your sisters, “ [ c ] Ruhamah.”

2 “Dispute with your mother, ( A ) dispute,
Because she is ( B ) not my wife, and I am not her husband;
But she must remove her ( C ) infidelity from her face
And her adultery from between her breasts,
3 Otherwise, I will strip her ( D ) naked
And expose her as on the ( E ) day she was born.
I will also ( F ) make her like a wilderness,
Make her like desert land,
And put her to death with ( G ) thirst.
4 Also, I will take no pity on her children,
Because they are ( H ) children of infidelity.
5 For their mother has ( I ) committed prostitution;
She who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, ‘ ( J ) I will go after my lovers,
Who ( K ) give me my bread and my water,
My wool and my flax, my ( L ) oil and my drink.’
6 Therefore, behold, I will ( M ) obstruct [ d ] her way with ( N ) thorns,
And I will build [ e ] a stone wall against her so that she cannot find her ( O ) paths.
7 And she will ( P ) pursue her lovers, but she will not reach them;
And she will seek them, but will not find them .
Then she will say, ‘ ( Q ) I will go back to my ( R ) first husband,
Because it was ( S ) better for me then than now!’

8 “Yet she does ( T ) not know that it was ( U ) I myself who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil,
And lavished on her silver and gold,
Which they [ f ] used for Baal.
9 Therefore, I will [ g ] ( V ) take back My grain at [ h ] harvest time
And My new wine in its season.
I will also take away My wool and My flax
That I gave to cover her nakedness.
10 So now I will ( W ) uncover her [ i ] lewdness
Before the eyes of her lovers,
And no one will rescue her from My hand.
11 I will also ( X ) put an end to all her joy,
Her ( Y ) feasts, her ( Z ) new moons, her Sabbaths,
And all her festivals.
12 And I will ( AA ) destroy her vines and fig trees,
Of which she said, ‘They are my wages for prostitution
Which my lovers have given me.’
And I will ( AB ) turn them into a forest,
And the ( AC ) animals of the field will devour them.
13 I will punish her for the ( AD ) days of the Baals
When she used to [ j ] ( AE ) offer sacrifices to them
And ( AF ) adorn herself with her nose ring and jewelry,
And follow her lovers, so that she ( AG ) forgot Me,” declares the Lord .

Restoration of Israel

14 “Therefore, behold, I am going to persuade her,
( AH ) Bring her into the wilderness,
And speak [ k ] kindly to her.
15 Then I will give her her ( AI ) vineyards from there,
And ( AJ ) the [ l ] Valley of Achor as a door of hope.
And she will [ m ] ( AK ) respond there as in the days of her youth,
As in the ( AL ) day when she went up from the land of Egypt.
16 And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord ,
“That you will call Me [ n ] ( AM ) my husband
And no longer call Me my [ o ] Baal.
17 For ( AN ) I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth,
So that they will no longer be [ p ] mentioned by their names.
18 On that day I will also make a covenant for them
With the ( AO ) animals of the field,
The birds of the sky,
And the crawling things of the ground.
And I will [ q ] ( AP ) eliminate the bow, the sword, and war from the land,
And will let them ( AQ ) lie down in safety.
19 I will ( AR ) betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in ( AS ) righteousness and in justice,
In favor and in compassion,
20 And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will ( AT ) know the Lord .

21 “And it will come about on that day that ( AU ) I will respond,” declares the Lord .
“I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,
22 And the ( AV ) earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine, and to the oil,
And they will respond to [ r ] Jezreel.
23 I will ( AW ) sow her for Myself in the land.
( AX ) I will also have compassion on [ s ] her who had not obtained compassion,
And ( AY ) I will say to [ t ] those who were ( AZ ) not My people,
‘You are My people!’
And [ u ] they will say, ‘ You are my God!’”

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:1 Ch 2:3 in Heb
  2. Hosea 2:1 I.e., my people
  3. Hosea 2:1 I.e., she has obtained compassion
  4. Hosea 2:6 As in some ancient versions; MT your
  5. Hosea 2:6 Lit her stone wall so that
  6. Hosea 2:8 Or made into the
  7. Hosea 2:9 Lit return and take My
  8. Hosea 2:9 Lit its time
  9. Hosea 2:10 Or shame
  10. Hosea 2:13 Or burn incense
  11. Hosea 2:14 Lit upon her heart
  12. Hosea 2:15 Lit Valley of Trouble
  13. Hosea 2:15 Or give answer
  14. Hosea 2:16 Heb Ishi
  15. Hosea 2:16 Also meaning husband in Heb, besides a name for false gods
  16. Hosea 2:17 Or remembered
  17. Hosea 2:18 Lit break
  18. Hosea 2:22 I.e., God sows
  19. Hosea 2:23 Heb Lo-ruhamah
  20. Hosea 2:23 Heb Lo-ammi
  21. Hosea 2:23 Lit he

2 [ a ] “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ ( A )

Israel Punished and Restored

2 “Rebuke your mother, ( B ) rebuke her,
for she is not my wife,
and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adulterous ( C ) look from her face
and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
3 Otherwise I will strip ( D ) her naked
and make her as bare as on the day she was born; ( E )
I will make her like a desert, ( F )
turn her into a parched land,
and slay her with thirst.
4 I will not show my love to her children, ( G )
because they are the children of adultery. ( H )
5 Their mother has been unfaithful
and has conceived them in disgrace.
She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, ( I )
who give me my food and my water,
my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’ ( J )
6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. ( K )
7 She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
she will look for them but not find them. ( L )
Then she will say,
‘I will go back to my husband ( M ) as at first, ( N )
for then I was better off ( O ) than now.’
8 She has not acknowledged ( P ) that I was the one
who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, ( Q )
who lavished on her the silver and gold ( R ) —
which they used for Baal. ( S )

9 “Therefore I will take away my grain ( T ) when it ripens,
and my new wine ( U ) when it is ready.
I will take back my wool and my linen,
intended to cover her naked body.
10 So now I will expose ( V ) her lewdness
before the eyes of her lovers; ( W )
no one will take her out of my hands. ( X )
11 I will stop ( Y ) all her celebrations: ( Z )
her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals. ( AA )
12 I will ruin her vines ( AB ) and her fig trees, ( AC )
which she said were her pay from her lovers; ( AD )
I will make them a thicket, ( AE )
and wild animals will devour them. ( AF )
13 I will punish her for the days
she burned incense ( AG ) to the Baals; ( AH )
she decked herself with rings and jewelry, ( AI )
and went after her lovers, ( AJ )
but me she forgot, ( AK ) ”
declares the Lord . ( AL )

14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness ( AM )
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor [ b ] ( AN ) a door of hope.
There she will respond [ c ] ( AO ) as in the days of her youth, ( AP )
as in the day she came up out of Egypt. ( AQ )

16 “In that day,” declares the Lord ,
“you will call me ‘my husband’; ( AR )
you will no longer call me ‘my master. [ d ] ’
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; ( AS )
no longer will their names be invoked. ( AT )
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the creatures that move along the ground. ( AU )
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish ( AV ) from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety. ( AW )
19 I will betroth ( AX ) you to me forever;
I will betroth you in [ e ] righteousness and justice, ( AY )
in [ f ] love and compassion. ( AZ )
20 I will betroth you in [ g ] faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge ( BA ) the Lord . ( BB )

21 “In that day I will respond,”
declares the Lord —
“I will respond ( BC ) to the skies,
and they will respond to the earth;
22 and the earth will respond to the grain,
the new wine and the olive oil, ( BD )
and they will respond to Jezreel. [ h ] ( BE )
23 I will plant ( BF ) her for myself in the land;
I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one. [ i ] ( BG ) ’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people, [ j ] ’ ‘You are my people’; ( BH )
and they will say, ‘You are my God. ( BI ) ’”

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-23 is numbered 2:3-25.
  2. Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble.
  3. Hosea 2:15 Or sing
  4. Hosea 2:16 Hebrew baal
  5. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  6. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  7. Hosea 2:20 Or with
  8. Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God plants.
  9. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
  10. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)
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