Hosea 2
New King James Version
The Lord’s Love for His Unfaithful People
God’s Unfaithful People
2 “Bring[c] charges against your mother, [d]bring charges;
For (A)she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband!
Let her put away her (B)harlotries from her sight,
And her adulteries from between her breasts;
3 Lest (C)I strip her naked
And expose her, as in the day she was (D)born,
And make her like a wilderness,
And set her like a dry land,
And slay her with (E)thirst.
4 “I will not have mercy on her children,
For they are the (F)children of harlotry.
5 For their mother has played the harlot;
She who conceived them has behaved shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
(G)Who give me my bread and my water,
My wool and my linen,
My oil and my drink.’
6 “Therefore, behold,
(H)I will hedge up your way with thorns,
And [e]wall her in,
So that she cannot find her paths.
7 She will [f]chase her lovers,
But not overtake them;
Yes, she will seek them, but not find them.
Then she will say,
(I)‘I will go and return to my (J)first husband,
For then it was better for me than now.’
8 For she did not (K)know
That I gave her grain, new wine, and oil,
And multiplied her silver and gold—
Which they prepared for Baal.
9 “Therefore I will return and take away
My grain in its time
And My new wine in its season,
And will take back My wool and My linen,
Given to cover her nakedness.
10 Now (L)I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers,
And no one shall deliver her from My hand.
11 (M)I will also cause all her mirth to cease,
Her feast days,
Her New Moons,
Her Sabbaths—
All her appointed feasts.
12 “And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees,
Of which she has said,
‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me.’
So I will make them a forest,
And the beasts of the field shall eat them.
13 I will punish her
For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense.
She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry,
And went after her lovers;
But Me she forgot,” says the Lord.
God’s Mercy on His People
14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak [g]comfort to her.
15 I will give her her vineyards from there,
And (N)the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there,
As in (O)the days of her youth,
(P)As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “And it shall be, in that day,”
Says the Lord,
“That you will call Me [h]‘My Husband,’
And no longer call Me [i]‘My Master,’
17 For (Q)I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals,
And they shall be remembered by their name no more.
18 In that day I will make a (R)covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle (S)I will shatter from the earth,
To make them (T)lie down safely.
19 “I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;
20 I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And (U)you shall know the Lord.
21 “It shall come to pass in that day
That (V)I will answer,” says the Lord;
“I will answer the heavens,
And they shall answer the earth.
22 The earth shall answer
With grain,
With new wine,
And with oil;
They shall answer [j]Jezreel.
23 Then (W)I will sow her for Myself in the earth,
(X)And I will have mercy on her who had [k]not obtained mercy;
Then (Y)I will say to those who were [l]not My people,
‘You are [m]My people!’
And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”
Footnotes
- Hosea 2:1 Heb. Ammi, Hos. 1:9, 10
- Hosea 2:1 Heb. Ruhamah, Hos. 1:6
- Hosea 2:2 Or Contend with
- Hosea 2:2 Or contend
- Hosea 2:6 Lit. wall up her wall
- Hosea 2:7 Or pursue
- Hosea 2:14 Lit. to her heart
- Hosea 2:16 Heb. Ishi
- Hosea 2:16 Heb. Baali
- Hosea 2:22 Lit. God Will Sow
- Hosea 2:23 Heb. lo-ruhamah
- Hosea 2:23 Heb. lo-ammi
- Hosea 2:23 Heb. ammi
Hosea 2
Amplified Bible
Israel’s Unfaithfulness Condemned
2 “[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(A)
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 Lord God] 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 noticed nor understood nor realized that it was I [the Lord God] who gave her the grain and the new wine and the oil,
And lavished on her silver and gold,
Which they used for Baal and made into his image.
9
“Therefore, I will return and take back My grain at harvest time
And My new wine in its season.
I will also take away My wool and My flax
Given to cover her nakedness.
10
“And now I will uncover her lewdness and shame
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 sacrifices and burn incense to them
And adorn herself with her earrings and nose 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 hope and expectation [anticipating the time when I will restore My favor on her].
And she will sing there and respond as in the days of her youth
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.(B)
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 (my [a]Baal).
17
“For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth,
So that they will no longer be mentioned or remembered by their names.(C)
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 lovingkindness and loyalty, and in compassion.
20
“I will betroth you to Me in stability and in 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 are my God!’”(D)
Footnotes
- Hosea 2:16 This was a loaded term meaning “owner,” “lord,” or “husband,” and as “lord” it also became a word for pagan gods. Some or perhaps most of the idolatry in which Israel engaged probably were attempts to represent the true God as an idol, such as a Baal.
Hosea 2
Authorized (King James) Version
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.
Hosea 2
1599 Geneva Bible
2 1 The people is called to repentance. 5 He showeth their idolatry and threateneth them except they repent.
1 Say unto your [a]brethren, Ammi, and to your sisters, Ruhamah,
2 Plead with your [b]mother: plead with her: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: but let her take away her fornications out of her sight, and her adulteries [c]from between her breasts.
3 Lest I strip her naked, and [d]set her as in the day that she was [e]born, and make her as a wilderness, and leave her like a dry land, and slay her for thirst.
4 And I will have no pity upon her children: for they be the [f]children of fornication.
5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them, hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after thy [g]lovers that give me my bread and my water, my wool, and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
6 Therefore behold, I will stoop [h]thy way with thorns, and make an hedge, that she shall not find her paths.
7 Though she follow after her lovers, yet shall she not come at them: though she seek them, yet shall she not find them: then shall she say, [i]I will go and return to my first husband: for at that time was I better than now.
8 Now she did not know that I [j]gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they bestowed upon Baal.
9 Therefore will I return, and take away [k]my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax lent, to cover her shame.
10 And now will I discover her [l]lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no man 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 as a forest, and the wild beasts shall eat them.
13 And I will visit upon her the days of [m]Baal, wherein she burnt incense to them: and she decked herself with her [n]earrings and her jewels, and she followed her lovers, and forgot me, saith the Lord.
14 Therefore behold, I will [o]allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak friendly unto her.
15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley [p]of Achor for the door of hope, and she shall [q]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 at that day, saith the Lord, thou shalt call me [r]Ishi, and shalt call me no more [s]Baali.
17 For I will take away the names of Baal out of her mouth, and they shall be no more remembered by their [t]names.
18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the [u]wild beasts, and with the fowls of the heaven, and with that that creepeth upon the earth: and I will break the bow, and the sword and the battle out of the earth: and will make them to sleep safely.
19 And I will marry thee unto me forever: yea, I will marry thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in mercy, and in compassion.
20 I will even marry thee unto me in [v]faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord.
21 And in that day I will hear, saith the Lord, I will even hear [w]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 was not pitied, (A)and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people. And they shall say, Thou art my God.
Footnotes
- Hosea 2:1 Seeing that I have promised you deliverance, it remaineth that you encourage one another to embrace the same, considering that ye are my people on whom I will have mercy.
- Hosea 2:2 God showeth that the fault was not in him, but in their Synagogue, and their idolatries, that he forsook them, Isa. 50:1.
- Hosea 2:2 Meaning, that their idolatry was so great, that they were not ashamed, but boasted of it, Ezek. 16:25.
- Hosea 2:3 For though this people were as an harlot for their idolatries, yet he had left them with their apparel and dowry and certain signs of his favor, but if they continued still, he would utterly destroy them.
- Hosea 2:3 When I brought her out of Egypt, Ezek. 16:4.
- Hosea 2:4 That is, bastards and begotten in adultery.
- Hosea 2:5 Meaning, the idol which they served, and by whom they thought they had wealth and abundance.
- Hosea 2:6 I will punish thee that then thou mayest try whether thine idols can help thee, and bring thee into such straightness that thou shalt have no lust to play the wanton.
- Hosea 2:7 This he speaketh of the faithful, which are truly converted, and also showeth the use and profit of God’s rods.
- Hosea 2:8 This declareth that idolaters defraud God of his honor, when they attribute his benefits to their idols.
- Hosea 2:9 Signifying, that God will take away his benefits when man by his ingratitude doth abuse them.
- Hosea 2:10 That is, all her service, ceremonies and inventions whereby she worshipped her idols.
- Hosea 2:13 I will punish her for her idolatry.
- Hosea 2:13 By showing how harlots trim themselves to please others, he declareth how that superstitious idolaters set a great part of their religion, in decking themselves on their holy days.
- Hosea 2:14 By my benefits in offering her grace and mercy, even in that place where she shall think herself destitute of all help and comfort.
- Hosea 2:15 Which was a plentiful valley, and wherein they had great comfort when they came out of the wilderness, as Josh. 7:26, and is called the door of hope, because it was a departing from death and an entry into life.
- Hosea 2:15 She shall then praise God as she did when she was delivered out of Egypt.
- Hosea 2:16 That is, mine husband, knowing that I am joined to thee by an inviolable covenant.
- Hosea 2:16 That is, my master: which name was applied to their idols.
- Hosea 2:17 No idolatry shall once come into their mouth, but they shall serve me purely according to my word.
- Hosea 2:18 Meaning, that he will so bless them that all creatures shall favor them.
- Hosea 2:20 With a covenant that never shall be broken.
- Hosea 2:21 Then shall the heaven desire rain for the earth which shall bring forth for the use of man.
Hosea 2
Young's Literal Translation
2 `Say ye to your brethren -- Ammi, And to your sisters -- Ruhamah.
2 Plead ye with your mother -- plead, (For she [is] not My wife, and I [am] not her husband,) And she turneth her whoredoms from before her, And her adulteries from between her breasts,
3 Lest I strip her naked. And have set her up as [in] the day of her birth, And have made her as a wilderness, And have set her as a dry land, And have put her to death with thirst.
4 And her sons I do not pity, For sons of whoredoms [are] they,
5 For gone a-whoring hath their mother, Acted shamefully hath their conceiver, For she hath said, I go after my lovers, Those giving my bread and my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.
6 Therefore, lo, I am hedging up thy way with thorns, And I have made for her a wall, And her paths she doth not find.
7 And she hath pursued her lovers, And she doth not overtake them, And hath sought them, and doth not find, And she hath said: I go, and I turn back unto My first husband, For -- better to me then than now.
8 And she knew not that I had given to her, The corn, and the new wine, and the oil. Yea, silver I did multiply to her, And the gold they prepared for Baal.
9 Therefore do I turn back, And I have taken My corn in its season, And My new wine in its appointed time, And I have taken away My wool and My flax, covering her nakedness.
10 And now do I reveal her dishonour before the eyes of her lovers, And none doth deliver her out of My hand.
11 And I have caused to cease all her joy, Her festival, her new moon, and her sabbath, Even all her appointed times,
12 And made desolate her vine and her fig-tree, Of which she said, A gift they [are] to me, That my lovers have given to me, And I have made them for a forest, And consumed them hath a beast of the field.
13 And I have charged on her the days of the Baalim, To whom she maketh perfume, And putteth on her ring and her ornament, And goeth after her lovers, And Me forgat -- an affirmation of Jehovah.
14 Therefore, lo, I am enticing her, And have caused her to go to the wilderness, And I have spoken unto her heart,
15 And given to her her vineyards from thence, And the valley of Achor for an opening of hope, And she hath responded there as in the days of her youth, And as in the day of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.
16 And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah, Thou dost call Me -- My husband, And dost not call Me any more -- My lord.
17 And I have turned aside the names of the lords from her mouth, And they are not remembered any more by their name.
18 And I have made to them a covenant in that day, with the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the creeping thing of the ground, And bow, and sword, and war I break from off the land, And have caused them to lie down confidently.
19 And I have betrothed thee to Me to the age, And betrothed thee to Me in righteousness, And in judgment, and kindness, and mercies,
20 And betrothed thee to Me in faithfulness, And thou hast known Jehovah.
21 And it hath come to pass in that day, I answer -- an affirmation of Jehovah, I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth.
22 And the earth doth answer the corn, And the new wine, and the oil, And they answer Jezreel.
23 And I have sowed her to Me in the land, And I have pitied Lo-Ruhamah, And I have said to Lo-Ammi, My people thou [art], and it saith, My God!'
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
