[a]“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’(A)

Israel Punished and Restored

“Rebuke your mother,(B) rebuke her,
    for she is not my wife,
    and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adulterous(C) look from her face
    and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
Otherwise I will strip(D) her naked
    and make her as bare as on the day she was born;(E)
I will make her like a desert,(F)
    turn her into a parched land,
    and slay her with thirst.
I will not show my love to her children,(G)
    because they are the children of adultery.(H)
Their mother has been unfaithful
    and has conceived them in disgrace.
She said, ‘I will go after my lovers,(I)
    who give me my food and my water,
    my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’(J)
Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
    I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.(K)
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
    she will look for them but not find them.(L)
Then she will say,
    ‘I will go back to my husband(M) as at first,(N)
    for then I was better off(O) than now.’
She has not acknowledged(P) that I was the one
    who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil,(Q)
who lavished on her the silver and gold(R)
    which they used for Baal.(S)

“Therefore I will take away my grain(T) when it ripens,
    and my new wine(U) when it is ready.
I will take back my wool and my linen,
    intended to cover her naked body.
10 So now I will expose(V) her lewdness
    before the eyes of her lovers;(W)
    no one will take her out of my hands.(X)
11 I will stop(Y) all her celebrations:(Z)
    her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
    her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals.(AA)
12 I will ruin her vines(AB) and her fig trees,(AC)
    which she said were her pay from her lovers;(AD)
I will make them a thicket,(AE)
    and wild animals will devour them.(AF)
13 I will punish her for the days
    she burned incense(AG) to the Baals;(AH)
she decked herself with rings and jewelry,(AI)
    and went after her lovers,(AJ)
    but me she forgot,(AK)
declares the Lord.(AL)

14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness(AM)
    and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
    and will make the Valley of Achor[b](AN) a door of hope.
There she will respond[c](AO) as in the days of her youth,(AP)
    as in the day she came up out of Egypt.(AQ)

16 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “you will call me ‘my husband’;(AR)
    you will no longer call me ‘my master.[d]
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;(AS)
    no longer will their names be invoked.(AT)
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
    with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
    and the creatures that move along the ground.(AU)
Bow and sword and battle
    I will abolish(AV) from the land,
    so that all may lie down in safety.(AW)
19 I will betroth(AX) you to me forever;
    I will betroth you in[e] righteousness and justice,(AY)
    in[f] love and compassion.(AZ)
20 I will betroth you in[g] faithfulness,
    and you will acknowledge(BA) the Lord.(BB)

21 “In that day I will respond,”
    declares the Lord
“I will respond(BC) 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,(BD)
    and they will respond to Jezreel.[h](BE)
23 I will plant(BF) her for myself in the land;
    I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.[i](BG)
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,[j]’ ‘You are my people’;(BH)
    and they will say, ‘You are my God.(BI)’”

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-23 is numbered 2:3-25.
  2. Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble.
  3. Hosea 2:15 Or sing
  4. Hosea 2:16 Hebrew baal
  5. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  6. Hosea 2:19 Or with
  7. Hosea 2:20 Or with
  8. Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God plants.
  9. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
  10. Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)

The Lord’s Love for His Unfaithful People

Say to your brethren, [a]‘My people,’
And to your sisters, [b]‘Mercy is shown.

God’s Unfaithful People

“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;
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.

“I will not have mercy on her children,
For they are the (F)children of harlotry.
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.’

“Therefore, behold,
(H)I will hedge up your way with thorns,
And [e]wall her in,
So that she cannot find her paths.
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.’
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.

“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

  1. Hosea 2:1 Heb. Ammi, Hos. 1:9, 10
  2. Hosea 2:1 Heb. Ruhamah, Hos. 1:6
  3. Hosea 2:2 Or Contend with
  4. Hosea 2:2 Or contend
  5. Hosea 2:6 Lit. wall up her wall
  6. Hosea 2:7 Or pursue
  7. Hosea 2:14 Lit. to her heart
  8. Hosea 2:16 Heb. Ishi
  9. Hosea 2:16 Heb. Baali
  10. Hosea 2:22 Lit. God Will Sow
  11. Hosea 2:23 Heb. lo-ruhamah
  12. Hosea 2:23 Heb. lo-ammi
  13. Hosea 2:23 Heb. ammi

「你們要稱你們的弟兄為阿米[a],要稱你們的姊妹為路哈瑪[b]

對不貞之婦的控訴

「你們去跟你們的母親理論吧!
因為她不再是我的妻子,
我也不再是她的丈夫。
叫她別再出賣色相,
別再露出乳間的淫態。
不然,我要剝光她的衣服,
使她像初生之時一樣赤身露體;
我要使她像沙漠,如旱地,
乾渴而死。
我也不憐憫她的兒女,
因為他們都是娼妓所生的兒女。
他們的母親淫亂放蕩,厚顏無恥,
她說,『我要跟隨我的情人,
他們給我食物和水、羊毛和麻布、油和酒。』
因此,我要用荊棘圍堵她,
築牆阻斷她的去路。
她要追隨情人,卻追不上;
尋找情人,卻找不到。
於是,她說,『我倒不如回到丈夫身邊,
我從前的光景比現在還好。』
她不知道是我給她五穀、新酒和油,
又賜給她大量金銀——
她卻用這些供奉巴力。
因此,到了收割和釀酒的季節,
我要收走我的五穀和新酒,
奪回我給她遮體的羊毛和麻布。
10 我要當著她情人的面剝光她的衣服,
顯出她的淫態,
無人能從我手中把她救出去。
11 我要終止她一切的歡慶,
終止她的年節、朔日[c]、安息日及其他節期。
12 她說她的葡萄樹和無花果樹是情人給她的報酬,
我要摧毀它們,
使它們變為荒林,
被野獸吞吃。
13 我要懲罰她,
因為她在節日向巴力燒香。
那時她戴耳環佩首飾,
追逐她的情人,把我忘記。
這是耶和華說的。

對不貞之婦的愛

14 「然而,我要挽回她,
領她到曠野,
柔聲安慰她。
15 我要把葡萄園賜給她,
使災禍之谷[d]成為希望之門。
她要在那裡快樂地歌唱,
如在妙齡時的日子,
如從埃及出來之時。」

16 耶和華說:
「那時,你要稱我為丈夫,
不再稱我為主人[e]
17 我要從你口中除掉巴力的名字,
再也不讓你提起。
18 那時,我要跟田間的走獸、空中的飛鳥及地上的爬蟲立約,
使牠們不再傷害你。
我要在你境內毀滅戰弓和刀劍,止息戰事,
使你安居樂業。
19 我要聘你永遠做我的妻,
以仁義、正直、慈愛、憐憫聘你。
20 我要以信實聘你為妻,
這樣你必認識耶和華。」

21 耶和華說:
「那時,我要應允,
我要應允天的祈求,
天要應允地的祈求,
22 地要應允五穀、新酒和油的祈求,
五穀、新酒和油要應允耶斯列的祈求。
23 我要把你栽種在這片土地上,歸我所有。
我要憐憫那不蒙憐憫的人,
對那不是我子民的人說,『你是我的子民。』
他們也要對我說,『你是我的上帝。』」

Footnotes

  1. 2·1 阿米」意思是「我的子民」。
  2. 2·1 路哈瑪」意思是「得蒙憐憫」。
  3. 2·11 朔日」即每月初一。
  4. 2·15 災禍之谷」希伯來文是「亞割谷」,「亞割」意思是「災禍」。參見約書亞記第七章。
  5. 2·16 此處的「主人」希伯來文是「巴力」。「巴力」意思是「主人或丈夫」,也是迦南人神明的名字。

Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

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;

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.

And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

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.

Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

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.

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.

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.