הוֹשֵׁעַ

Nevi’im - נביאים

Hoshea - Chapter 1

The word of the LORD that came unto 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.

When the LORD spoke at first with Hosea, {P} the LORD said unto Hosea: ‘Go, take unto thee a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry; for the land doth commit great harlotry, departing from the LORD.’

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

And the LORD said unto him: ‘Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

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

And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And He said unto him: ‘Call her name Lo-ruhamah; for I will no more have compassion upon the house of Israel, that I should in any wise pardon them.

But I will have compassion 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, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.’

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

And He said: ‘Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not My people, and I will not be yours.’ {P}

Hoshea - Chapter 2

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, instead of that which was said unto them: ‘Ye are not My people’, it shall be said unto them: ‘Ye are the children of the living God.’

And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall go up out of the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Say ye unto your brethren: ‘Ammi’; and to your sisters, ‘Ruhamah.’

Plead with your mother, plead; for she is not My wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her harlotries from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts; 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.

And I will not have compassion upon her children; for they are children of harlotry.

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.’

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

And she shall run 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.’

For she did not know that it was I that gave her the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and multiplied unto her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

Therefore will I take back My corn in the time thereof, and My wine in the season thereof, and will snatch away My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness.

And now will I uncover her shame in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of My hand.

I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her appointed seasons.

And I will lay waste her vines and her fig-trees, whereof she hath said: ‘These are my hire that my lovers have given me’; and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

And I will visit upon her the days of the Baalim, wherein she offered unto them, and decked herself with her ear-rings and her jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgot Me, saith the LORD. {S}

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

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

And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call Me Ishi, and shalt call Me no more Baali.

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

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 land, and will make them to lie down safely.

And I will betroth thee unto Me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness, and in justice, and in lovingkindness, and in compassion.

And I will betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the LORD. {P}

And it shall come to pass in that day, I will respond, saith the LORD, I will respond to the heavens, and they shall respond to the earth; And the earth shall respond to the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall respond to Jezreel.

And I will sow her unto Me in the land; and I will have compassion upon her that had not obtained compassion; and I will say to them that were not My people: ‘Thou art My people’; and they shall say: ‘Thou art my God.’ {P}

Hoshea - Chapter 3

And the LORD said unto me: ‘Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend and an adulteress, even as the LORD loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.

So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer of barley, and a half-homer of barley; and I said unto her: ‘Thou shalt sit solitary for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be any man’s wife; nor will I be thine.’

For the children of Israel shall sit solitary many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim; afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall come trembling unto the LORD and to His goodness in the end of days. {P}

Hoshea - Chapter 4

Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel! for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Swearing and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery! they break all bounds, and blood toucheth blood.

Therefore doth the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein doth languish, with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also are taken away.

Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

Therefore shalt thou stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

The more they were increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.

They feed on the sin of My people, and set their heart on their iniquity.

And it is like people, like priest; and I will punish him for his ways, and will recompense him his doings.

And they shall eat, and not have enough, they shall commit harlotry, and shall not increase; because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.

Harlotry, wine, and new wine take away the heart.

My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of harlotry hath caused them to err, and they have gone astray from under their God.

They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and offer upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because the shadow thereof is good; therefore your daughters commit harlotry, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.