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The word of the Lord that came(A) to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah,(B) Jotham,(C) Ahaz(D) and Hezekiah,(E) kings of Judah,(F) and during the reign of Jeroboam(G) son of Jehoash[a] king of Israel:(H)

Hosea’s Wife and Children

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous(I) woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness(J) to the Lord.” So he married Gomer(K) daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel,(L) because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.(M)

Gomer(N) conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”),(O) for I will no longer show love to Israel,(P) that I should at all forgive them. Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow,(Q) sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God,(R) will save them.”

After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah,(S) Gomer had another son. Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.[b](T)

10 “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.(U) In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’(V) 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together;(W) they will appoint one leader(X) and will come up out of the land,(Y) for great will be the day of Jezreel.[c](Z)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
  2. Hosea 1:9 Or your I am
  3. Hosea 1:11 In Hebrew texts 1:10,11 is numbered 2:1,2.

The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.

Hosea’s Wife and Children

When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute,[b] so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”

So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. And the Lord said, “Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu’s dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel’s independence. I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley.”

Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—‘Not loved’—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the Lord their God.”

After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi—‘Not my people’—for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God.

10 [c]“Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’ 11 Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite together. They will choose one leader for themselves, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be—the day of Jezreel[d]—when God will again plant his people in his land.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant spelling of Jehoash.
  2. 1:2 Or a promiscuous woman.
  3. 1:10 Verses 1:10-11 are numbered 2:1-2 in Hebrew text.
  4. 1:11 Jezreel means “God plants.”

Hosea’s Wife and Children

The word of the Lord that came to 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 first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, take for yourself a [a]wife of prostitution and have children of [her] prostitution; for the land commits great acts of prostitution by [b]not following the Lord.” So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet in a little while I will avenge the blood [that was shed in the Valley] of Jezreel and inflict the punishment for it on the house of [c]Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the [d]house of Israel.(A) On that day I will break the bow [of the military power] of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

Then Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah (not shown mercy), for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. But I will have mercy on the house of Judah and will rescue them by the Lord their God, and will [e]not rescue them by bow, sword, war, horses, or horsemen.”(B)

Now when Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-Ammi (not my people), for you are not My people and I am not your God.”

10 
Yet the number of the [f]sons of Israel
Shall be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered;
And in the place
Where it is said to them,
“You are not My people,”
It will be said to them,
You are the sons of the living God.”(C)
11 
Then the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For great and glorious will be the day of [g]Jezreel.(D)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 1:2 Some scholars interpret this to mean that Gomer was chaste at the time of the marriage, but later became an adulteress. As such, she symbolizes the future unfaithfulness of Israel.
  2. Hosea 1:2 Lit forsaking.
  3. Hosea 1:4 Jehu murdered Ahab’s sons in order to seize the throne of Israel.
  4. Hosea 1:4 I.e. Israel, the Northern Kingdom, which included ten of the original tribes of Israel. Samaria was the capital city.
  5. Hosea 1:7 Isaiah also made this prophecy (Is 31:8, 9) and both he and Hosea lived to see its fulfillment (Is 37:36). See also 2 Kin 19:35-37.
  6. Hosea 1:10 In general, sons (children) of Israel or Israel or Israelites refers to all the people (males and females) of the various tribes descended from the twelve sons (Gen 35:23-26) of Jacob (later renamed Israel by God). In verses about things such as warfare or circumcision, sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites usually refers only to the males. Tribes of ancient people were identified by the name of their founding ancestor. Therefore, this same general rule applies to individual tribal groups, e.g., sons of Reuben, Reuben, Reubenites, and so throughout.
  7. Hosea 1:11 The spiritually reborn Israel, the people whom the Lord has chosen and blessed.

Hosea’s Wife and Children

The word of the Lord which came to (A)Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of (B)Uzziah, (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz, and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of (F)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “(G)Go, take for yourself a wife [a]inclined to infidelity, and children of infidelity; for (H)the land commits flagrant infidelity, [b]abandoning the Lord.” So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and (I)bore him a son. And the Lord said to him, “Name him (J)Jezreel; for in just a little while (K)I will [c]punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and (L)I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will (M)break the bow of Israel in the (N)Valley of Jezreel.”

Then she conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And [d]the Lord said to him, “Name her [e]Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer (O)take pity on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. But I will take (P)pity on the house of Judah and (Q)save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by (R)bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”

When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. And [f]the Lord said, “Name him [g]Lo-ammi, because you are not My people, and I am not [h]your God.”

10 [i]Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Will be like the (S)sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or counted;
And (T)in the place
Where it is said to them,
“You are (U)not My people,”
It will be said to them,
You are the (V)sons of the living God.”
11 And the (W)sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be (X)gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves (Y)one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For the day of Jezreel will be great.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 1:2 Lit of infidelity; or fornication
  2. Hosea 1:2 Lit away from
  3. Hosea 1:4 Lit visit the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu
  4. Hosea 1:6 Lit He
  5. Hosea 1:6 I.e., not having obtained mercy
  6. Hosea 1:9 Lit He
  7. Hosea 1:9 I.e., not my people
  8. Hosea 1:9 Lit yours
  9. Hosea 1:10 Ch 2:1 in Heb

This is God’s Message to Hosea son of Beeri. It came to him during the royal reigns of Judah’s kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This was also the time that Jeroboam son of Joash was king over Israel.

This Whole Country Has Become a Whorehouse

The first time God spoke to Hosea he said:

“Find a whore and marry her.
    Make this whore the mother of your children.
And here’s why: This whole country
    has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God.”

Hosea did it. He picked Gomer daughter of Diblaim. She got pregnant and gave him a son.

4-5 Then God told him:

“Name him Jezreel. It won’t be long now before
    I’ll make the people of Israel pay for the massacre at Jezreel.
    I’m calling it quits on the kingdom of Israel.
Payday is coming! I’m going to chop Israel’s bows and arrows
    into kindling in the valley of Jezreel.”

* * *

6-7 Gomer got pregnant again. This time she had a daughter. God told Hosea:

“Name this one No-Mercy. I’m fed up with Israel.
    I’ve run out of mercy. There’s no more forgiveness.
Judah’s another story. I’ll continue having mercy on them.
    I’ll save them. It will be their God who saves them,
Not their armaments and armies,
    not their horsepower and manpower.”

* * *

8-9 After Gomer had weaned No-Mercy, she got pregnant yet again and had a son. God said:

“Name him Nobody. You’ve become nobodies to me,
    and I, God, am a nobody to you.

10-11 “But down the road the population of Israel is going to explode past counting, like sand on the ocean beaches. In the very place where they were once named Nobody, they will be named God’s Somebody. Everybody in Judah and everybody in Israel will be assembled as one people. They’ll choose a single leader. There’ll be no stopping them—a great day in Jezreel!”

* * *