²⁵ As indeed he says in Hosea,

^10 (A)Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

^(A)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, ^(A)in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of ^(B)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Hosea's Wife and Children

² When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ^(C)“Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have ^(D)children of whoredom, for ^(E)the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.”

⁸ “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and ^(A)I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you ^(B)and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, ^(C)and you became mine.

^27 (A)for the Father himself loves you, because ^(B)you have loved me and ^(C)have believed that I came from God.^[a]