Hosea 1
New Living Translation
1 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
2 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.”
3 So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. 4 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. 5 I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley.”
6 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. 7 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.”
8 After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. 9 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.
Hosea 1
International Standard Version
The Word of the Lord to Hosea
1 A message from the Lord came[a] to Beeri’s son Hosea[b] during the reigns of[c] Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of[d] Joash’s son Jeroboam, who was king of Israel.
Hosea’s Wife and Family
2 When a message from the Lord came to Hosea, the Lord told him,[e] “Go marry a prostitute and have children with her,[f] because the land is prostituting itself by departing from the Lord.” 3 So he went out and married Diblaim’s daughter Gomer. She conceived with him and gave birth to a son.
Naming the Children
4 The Lord told Hosea,[g] “Name the child[h] ‘Jezreel,’[i] because in a little while I’ll avenge the blood that was shed by Jehu’s dynasty at Jezreel. I’ll put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 At that time I’ll shatter the military strength[j] of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 Gomer[k] conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, so the Lord[l] told Hosea,[m] “Name her ‘Lo-ruhamah,’[n] because I will no longer be showing mercy to the house of Israel, nor will I forgive them. 7 But I’ll have mercy on the house of Judah, and I’ll save them by the Lord their God—I will not save them by the bow, by the sword, by battle, by horses, or by cavalry.”
8 After Gomer[o] had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived again and gave birth to a son, 9 so the Lord[p] told Hosea,[q] “Name him ‘Lo-ammi,’[r] because you are not my people, and I will not be your God.[s] 10 [t]Despite this, the number of the people of Israel will be like ocean sand, which can neither be measured nor counted. And the time will come when instead of it being said,[u] ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said,[v] ‘You are children of the living God.’ 11 [w]And the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be united as one. They will appoint for themselves a single leader and will take dominion over[x] the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
Footnotes
- Hosea 1:1 Lit. that came
- Hosea 1:1 The Heb. name Hosea means salvation
- Hosea 1:1 Lit. in the days of
- Hosea 1:1 Lit. in the days of
- Hosea 1:2 Lit. Hosea
- Hosea 1:2 Lit. children of prostitution
- Hosea 1:4 Lit. him
- Hosea 1:4 Lit. Name him
- Hosea 1:4 The Heb. name Jezreel means “God sows”
- Hosea 1:5 Lit. the bow
- Hosea 1:6 Lit. She
- Hosea 1:6 Lit. he
- Hosea 1:6 Lit. him
- Hosea 1:6 The Heb. name Lo-ruhamah means No mercy
- Hosea 1:8 Lit. she
- Hosea 1:9 Lit. he
- Hosea 1:9 Lit. him
- Hosea 1:9 The Heb. name Lo-ammi means Not my people
- Hosea 1:9 Lit. be for you
- Hosea 1:10 This vs. is 2:1 in MT
- Hosea 1:10 Lit. told them
- Hosea 1:10 Lit. told them
- Hosea 1:11 This vs. is 2:2 in MT
- Hosea 1:11 Lit. will go up from
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
