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

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.

Hosea’s Redemption of Gomer

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love [a]a woman who is loved by her [b]husband, yet is committing adultery, (A)as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love [c]raisin (B)cakes.” So I (C)purchased her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and a [d]homer and a [e]lethech of barley. Then I said to her, “You shall (D)live with me for many days. You shall not play the prostitute, nor shall you have another man; so I will also be toward you.” For the sons of Israel will live for many days (E)without a king or leader, (F)without sacrifice or (G)memorial stone, and without (H)ephod or [f](I)household idols. Afterward the sons of Israel will (J)return and seek the Lord their God and (K)David their king; and (L)they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 3:1 I.e., Gomer
  2. Hosea 3:1 Lit companion
  3. Hosea 3:1 Used in idolatry
  4. Hosea 3:2 About 7.7 cubic feet or 0.22 cubic meters
  5. Hosea 3:2 About 3.8 cubic feet or 0.11 cubic meters
  6. Hosea 3:4 Heb teraphim

Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife

The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.(A) Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.(B)

So I bought her for fifteen shekels[a] of silver and about a homer and a lethek[b] of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince,(C) without sacrifice(D) or sacred stones,(E) without ephod(F) or household gods.(G) Afterward the Israelites will return and seek(H) the Lord their God and David their king.(I) They will come trembling(J) to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.(K)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 3:2 That is, about 6 ounces or about 170 grams
  2. Hosea 3:2 A homer and a lethek possibly weighed about 430 pounds or about 195 kilograms.