18 It was in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Isra’el, that Hizkiyahu the son of Achaz, king of Y’hudah, began his reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim. His mother’s name was Avi the daughter of Z’kharyah. ³ He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, following the example of everything David his ancestor had done. ⁴ He removed the high places, smashed the standing-stones, cut down the asherah and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moshe had made; because in those days the people of Isra’el were making offerings to it, calling it N’chushtan.* ⁵ He put his trust in Adonai the God of Isra’el; after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Y’hudah, nor had there been among those before him. ⁶ For he clung to Adonai and did not leave off following him, but obeyed his mitzvot, which Adonai had given Moshe. ⁷ So Adonai was with him. Wherever he went out to battle, he did well. He rebelled against the king of Ashur and refused to be his vassal. ⁸ He drove the P’lishtim back to ‘Azah and laid waste to their territory from the watchtower to the fortified city.

1 This is the word of Adonai that came to Hoshea the son of Be’eri during the reigns of ‘Uziyah, Yotam, Achaz and Y’chizkiyah, kings of Y’hudah, and during the reign of Yarov‘am the son of Yo’ash, king of Isra’el. ² Adonai’s opening words in speaking to Hoshea were to instruct Hoshea,

³ So he went and married Gomer the daughter of Divlayim, and she conceived and bore him a son. ⁴ Adonai said to him, “Call him Yizre‘el, because in only a short time I will punish the house of Yehu for having shed blood at Yizre‘el; I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Isra’el. ⁵ When that day comes, I will break the bow of Isra’el in the Yizre‘el Valley.”

⁶ She conceived again and bore a daughter. Adonai said to him, “Name her Lo-Ruchamah [unpitied], for I will no longer have pity on the house of Isra’el. By no means will I forgive them. ⁷ But I will pity the house of Y’hudah; I will save them not by bow, sword, battle, horses or cavalry, but by Adonai their God.”

⁸ After weaning Lo-Ruchamah, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹ Adonai said, “Name him Lo-‘Ammi [not-my-people], because you are not my people, and I will not be your [God].

2 ^(1:10) “Nevertheless, the people of Isra’el will number as many as the grains of sand by the sea, which cannot be measured or counted; so that the time will come when, instead of being told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said to them, ‘You are the children of the living God.’