To Start All Over Again

14-15 “And now, here’s what I’m going to do:
    I’m going to start all over again.
I’m taking her back out into the wilderness
    where we had our first date, and I’ll court her.
I’ll give her bouquets of roses.
    I’ll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope.
She’ll respond like she did as a young girl,
    those days when she was fresh out of Egypt.

* * *

16-20 “At that time”—this is God’s Message still—
    “you’ll address me, ‘Dear husband!’
Never again will you address me,
    ‘My slave-master!’
I’ll wash your mouth out with soap,
    get rid of all the dirty false-god names,
    not so much as a whisper of those names again.
At the same time I’ll make a peace treaty between you
    and wild animals and birds and reptiles,
And get rid of all weapons of war.
    Think of it! Safe from beasts and bullies!
And then I’ll marry you for good—forever!
    I’ll marry you true and proper, in love and tenderness.
Yes, I’ll marry you and neither leave you nor let you go.
    You’ll know me, God, for who I really am.

* * *

Read full chapter

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

16 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “you will call me ‘my husband’;(F)
    you will no longer call me ‘my master.[c]
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;(G)
    no longer will their names be invoked.(H)
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.(I)
Bow and sword and battle
    I will abolish(J) from the land,
    so that all may lie down in safety.(K)
19 I will betroth(L) you to me forever;
    I will betroth you in[d] righteousness and justice,(M)
    in[e] love and compassion.(N)
20 I will betroth you in[f] faithfulness,
    and you will acknowledge(O) the Lord.(P)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble.
  2. Hosea 2:15 Or sing
  3. Hosea 2:16 Hebrew baal
  4. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  5. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  6. Hosea 2:20 Or with