Israel Is Shameless

“They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife,
And she goes from him
And becomes another man’s,
(A)May he return to her again?’
Would not that (B)land be greatly polluted?
But you have (C)played the harlot with many lovers;
(D)Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.

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“If a man divorces(A) his wife
    and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
    Would not the land be completely defiled?(B)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(C)
    would you now return to me?”(D)
declares the Lord.

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Law Concerning Divorce

24 “When a (A)man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some [a]uncleanness in her, and he writes her a (B)certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, (C)then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is [b]an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:1 indecency, lit. nakedness of a thing
  2. Deuteronomy 24:4 a detestable thing

24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him(A) because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce,(B) gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord(C) your God is giving you as an inheritance.

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26 You also committed harlotry with (A)the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to (B)provoke Me to anger.

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26 You engaged in prostitution(A) with the Egyptians,(B) your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger(C) with your increasing promiscuity.(D)

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Israel Restored at Last

14 O Israel, (A)return to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;
Take words with you,
And return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
“Take away all iniquity;
Receive us graciously,
For we will offer the (B)sacrifices[a] of our lips.
Assyria shall (C)not save us,
(D)We will not ride on horses,
Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’
(E)For in You the fatherless finds mercy.”

“I will heal their (F)backsliding,
I will (G)love them freely,
For My anger has turned away from him.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 14:2 Lit. bull calves; LXX fruit

Repentance to Bring Blessing

14 [a]Return,(A) Israel, to the Lord your God.
    Your sins(B) have been your downfall!(C)
Take words with you
    and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
    “Forgive(D) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(E)
    that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[b](F)
Assyria cannot save us;(G)
    we will not mount warhorses.(H)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(I)
    to what our own hands have made,(J)
    for in you the fatherless(K) find compassion.”

“I will heal(L) their waywardness(M)
    and love them freely,(N)
    for my anger has turned away(O) from them.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 14:1 In Hebrew texts 14:1-9 is numbered 14:2-10.
  2. Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls

For their mother has played the harlot;
She who conceived them has behaved shamefully.
For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers,
(A)Who give me my bread and my water,
My wool and my linen,
My oil and my drink.’

“Therefore, behold,
(B)I will hedge up your way with thorns,
And [a]wall her in,
So that she cannot find her paths.
She will [b]chase her lovers,
But not overtake them;
Yes, she will seek them, but not find them.
Then she will say,
(C)‘I will go and return to my (D)first husband,
For then it was better for me than now.’

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:6 Lit. wall up her wall
  2. Hosea 2:7 Or pursue

Their mother has been unfaithful
    and has conceived them in disgrace.
She said, ‘I will go after my lovers,(A)
    who give me my food and my water,
    my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’(B)
Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
    I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.(C)
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
    she will look for them but not find them.(D)
Then she will say,
    ‘I will go back to my husband(E) as at first,(F)
    for then I was better off(G) than now.’

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Their names: [a]Oholah the elder and [b]Oholibah (A)her sister;
(B)They were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

The Older Sister, Samaria

“Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;
And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring (C)Assyrians,
Who were clothed in purple,
Captains and rulers,
All of them desirable young men,
Horsemen riding on horses.
Thus she committed her harlotry with them,
All of them choice men of Assyria;
And with all for whom she lusted,
With all their idols, she defiled herself.
She has never given up her harlotry brought (D)from Egypt,
For in her youth they had lain with her,
Pressed her virgin bosom,
And poured out their immorality upon her.

“Therefore I have delivered her
Into the hand of her lovers,
Into the hand of the (E)Assyrians,
For whom she lusted.
10 They uncovered her nakedness,
Took away her sons and daughters,
And slew her with the sword;
She became a byword among women,
For they had executed judgment on her.

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

11 “Now (F)although her sister Oholibah saw this, (G)she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

12 “She lusted for the neighboring (H)Assyrians,
(I)Captains and rulers,
Clothed most gorgeously,
Horsemen riding on horses,
All of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled;
Both took the same way.
14 But she increased her harlotry;
She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Images of (J)Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,
15 Girded with belts around their waists,
Flowing turbans on their heads,
All of them looking like captains,
In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,
The land of their nativity.
16 (K)As soon as her eyes saw them,
She lusted for them
And sent (L)messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 “Then the [c]Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, (M)and alienated herself from them.
18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then (N)I (O)alienated Myself from her,
As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19 “Yet she multiplied her harlotry
In calling to remembrance the days of her youth,
(P)When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she lusted for her [d]paramours,
Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,
When the (Q)Egyptians pressed your bosom
Because of your youthful breasts.

Judgment on Jerusalem

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God:

(R)‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you,
From whom you have alienated yourself,
And I will bring them against you from every side:
23 The Babylonians,
All the Chaldeans,
(S)Pekod, Shoa, Koa,
(T)All the Assyrians with them,
All of them desirable young men,
Governors and rulers,
Captains and men of renown,
All of them riding on horses.
24 And they shall come against you
With chariots, wagons, and war-horses,
With a horde of people.
They shall array against you
Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.

‘I will delegate judgment to them,
And they shall judge you according to their judgments.
25 I will set My (U)jealousy against you,
And they shall deal furiously with you;
They shall remove your nose and your ears,
And your remnant shall fall by the sword;
They shall take your sons and your daughters,
And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.
26 (V)They shall also strip you of your clothes
And take away your beautiful jewelry.

27 ‘Thus (W)I will make you cease your lewdness and your (X)harlotry
Brought from the land of Egypt,
So that you will not lift your eyes to them,
Nor remember Egypt anymore.’

28 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of (Y)those you hate, into the hand of those (Z)from whom you alienated yourself. 29 (AA)They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and (AB)leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry. 30 I will do these things to you because you have (AC)gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her (AD)cup in your hand.’

32 “Thus says the Lord God:

‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup,
The deep and wide one;
(AE)You shall be laughed to scorn
And held in derision;
It contains much.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
The cup of horror and desolation,
The cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You shall (AF)drink and drain it,
You shall break its [e]shards,
And tear at your own breasts;
For I have spoken,’
Says the Lord God.

35 “Therefore thus says the Lord God:

‘Because you (AG)have forgotten Me and (AH)cast Me behind your back,
Therefore you shall bear the penalty
Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’ ”

Both Sisters Judged

36 The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you (AI)judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then (AJ)declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and (AK)blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons (AL)whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. 38 Moreover they have done this to Me: They have (AM)defiled My sanctuary on the same day and (AN)profaned My Sabbaths. 39 For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed (AO)thus they have done in the midst of My house.

40 “Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, (AP)to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you (AQ)washed yourself for them, (AR)painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately (AS)couch, with a table prepared before it, (AT)on which you had set My incense and My oil. 42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and [f]Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their [g]wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them? 44 Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women. 45 But righteous men will (AU)judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and (AV)blood is on their hands.

46 “For thus says the Lord God: (AW)‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder. 47 (AX)The assembly shall stone them with stones and [h]execute them with their swords; (AY)they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire. 48 Thus (AZ)I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, (BA)that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness. 49 They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall (BB)pay for your idolatrous sins. (BC)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 23:4 Lit. Her Own Tabernacle
  2. Ezekiel 23:4 Lit. My Tabernacle Is in Her
  3. Ezekiel 23:17 Lit. sons of Babel
  4. Ezekiel 23:20 Illicit lovers
  5. Ezekiel 23:34 Earthenware fragments
  6. Ezekiel 23:42 Or drunkards
  7. Ezekiel 23:42 Lit. hands
  8. Ezekiel 23:47 Lit. cut down

The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.(A)

“Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians(B)—warriors(C) clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after.(D) She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt,(E) when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.(F)

“Therefore I delivered her into the hands(G) of her lovers,(H) the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.(I) 10 They stripped(J) her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women,(K) and punishment was inflicted(L) on her.(M)

11 “Her sister Oholibah saw this,(N) yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.(O) 12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.(P) 13 I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.(Q)

14 “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall,(R) figures of Chaldeans[a] portrayed in red,(S) 15 with belts(T) around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.[b] 16 As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers(U) to them in Chaldea.(V) 17 Then the Babylonians(W) came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.(X) 18 When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body,(Y) I turned away(Z) from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.(AA) 19 Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20 There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21 So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.[c](AB)

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers(AC) against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side(AD) 23 the Babylonians(AE) and all the Chaldeans,(AF) the men of Pekod(AG) and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses.(AH) 24 They will come against you with weapons,[d] chariots and wagons(AI) and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment,(AJ) and they will punish you according to their standards. 25 I will direct my jealous anger(AK) against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters,(AL) and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire.(AM) 26 They will also strip(AN) you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry.(AO) 27 So I will put a stop(AP) to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.

28 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands(AQ) of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. 29 They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked,(AR) and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed.(AS) Your lewdness(AT) and promiscuity(AU) 30 have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.(AV) 31 You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup(AW) into your hand.(AX)

32 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“You will drink your sister’s cup,
    a cup large and deep;
it will bring scorn and derision,(AY)
    for it holds so much.(AZ)
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
    the cup of ruin and desolation,
    the cup of your sister Samaria.(BA)
34 You will drink it(BB) and drain it dry
    and chew on its pieces—
    and you will tear your breasts.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BC)

35 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten(BD) me and turned your back on me,(BE) you must bear(BF) the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”

36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront(BG) them with their detestable practices,(BH) 37 for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them.(BI) 38 They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary(BJ) and desecrated my Sabbaths.(BK) 39 On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated(BL) it. That is what they did in my house.(BM)

40 “They even sent messengers for men who came from far away,(BN) and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup(BO) and put on your jewelry.(BP) 41 You sat on an elegant couch,(BQ) with a table(BR) spread before it on which you had placed the incense(BS) and olive oil that belonged to me.(BT)

42 “The noise of a carefree(BU) crowd was around her; drunkards(BV) were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets(BW) on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.(BX) 43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute,(BY) for that is all she is.’ 44 And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. 45 But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood,(BZ) because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.(CA)

46 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob(CB) against them and give them over to terror and plunder.(CC) 47 The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters(CD) and burn(CE) down their houses.(CF)

48 “So I will put an end(CG) to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.(CH) 49 You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry.(CI) Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(CJ)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 23:14 Or Babylonians
  2. Ezekiel 23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16
  3. Ezekiel 23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts
  4. Ezekiel 23:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

28 You also played the harlot with the (A)Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. 29 Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, (B)Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.

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28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians(A) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.(B) 29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,[a](C) a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 16:29 Or Chaldea

Jeremiah Laments over Judah

“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,
(A)“Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.

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“If you, Israel, will return,(A)
    then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(B) out of my sight
    and no longer go astray,

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20 “For of old I have (A)broken your yoke and burst your bonds;
And (B)you said, ‘I will not [a]transgress,’
When (C)on every high hill and under every green tree
You lay down, (D)playing the harlot.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 2:20 Kt. serve

20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke(A)
    and tore off your bonds;(B)
    you said, ‘I will not serve you!’(C)
Indeed, on every high hill(D)
    and under every spreading tree(E)
    you lay down as a prostitute.(F)

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29 (A)But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in [a]distress, and all these things come upon you in the (B)latter days, when you (C)turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31 (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor (D)destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 4:30 tribulation

29 But if from there you seek(A) the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart(B) and with all your soul.(C) 30 When you are in distress(D) and all these things have happened to you, then in later days(E) you will return(F) to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful(G) God; he will not abandon(H) or destroy(I) you or forget(J) the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

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16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the [a]pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, (A)I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’

20 “And he arose and came to his father. But (B)when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven (C)and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, [b]‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 (D)for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 15:16 carob pods
  2. Luke 15:22 NU Quickly bring

16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned(A) against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.(B)

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.(C) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe(D) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger(E) and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;(F) he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.(G)

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Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return (A)to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.

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Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return(A) to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’(B) says the Lord Almighty.

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The Family of Hosea

When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:

(A)“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry
And children of harlotry,
For (B)the land has committed great [a]harlotry
By departing from the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 1:2 Spiritual adultery

Hosea’s Wife and Children

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous(A) woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness(B) to the Lord.”

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