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 (A)you shall know the Lord.

21 “It shall come to pass in that day
That (B)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 [a]Jezreel.
23 Then (C)I will sow her for Myself in the earth,
(D)And I will have mercy on her who had [b]not obtained mercy;
Then (E)I will say to those who were [c]not My people,
‘You are [d]My people!’
And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:22 Lit. God Will Sow
  2. Hosea 2:23 Heb. lo-ruhamah
  3. Hosea 2:23 Heb. lo-ammi
  4. Hosea 2:23 Heb. ammi

19 I will betroth(A) you to me forever;
    I will betroth you in[a] righteousness and justice,(B)
    in[b] love and compassion.(C)
20 I will betroth you in[c] faithfulness,
    and you will acknowledge(D) the Lord.(E)

21 “In that day I will respond,”
    declares the Lord
“I will respond(F) 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,(G)
    and they will respond to Jezreel.[d](H)
23 I will plant(I) her for myself in the land;
    I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.[e](J)
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,[f]’ ‘You are my people’;(K)
    and they will say, ‘You are my God.(L)’”

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  2. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  3. Hosea 2:20 Or with
  4. Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God plants.
  5. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
  6. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)

Israel Will Return to God

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a (A)lover[a] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 3:1 Lit. friend or husband

Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife

The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.(A) Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.(B)

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