A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Hosea, son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel:

and the number of the sons of Israel hath been as the sand of the sea, that is not measured nor numbered, and it hath come to pass in the place where it is said to them, Ye are not My people, it is said to them, Sons of the Living God;

and gathered have been the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel together, and they have appointed to themselves one head, and have gone up from the land, for great is the day of Jezreel.

Cut off have been My people for lack of knowledge, Because thou knowledge hast rejected, I reject thee from being priest to Me, And thou forgettest the law of thy God, I forget thy sons, I also!

And it hath been, like people, like priest, And I have charged on it its ways, And its habitual doings I return to it.

Hear this, O priests, and attend, O house of Israel, And, O house of the king, give ear, For the judgment is for you, For, a snare ye have been on Mizpah, And a net spread out on Tabor.

I have known Ephraim, And Israel hath not been hid from me, For now thou hast gone a-whoring, Ephraim, Defiled is Israel.

And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And Israel and Ephraim stumble by their iniquity, Stumbled also hath Judah with them.

Princes of Judah have been as those removing a border, On them I do pour out as water My wrath.

And they do not say to their heart, That all their evil I have remembered, Now compassed them have their doings, Over-against My face they have been.

Ephraim! among peoples he mixeth himself, Ephraim hath been a cake unturned.

And humbled hath been the excellency of Israel to his face, And they have not turned back unto Jehovah their God, Nor have they sought Him for all this.

They turn back -- not to the Most High, They have been as a deceitful bow, Fall by sword do their princes, From the insolence of their tongue, This is their derision in the land of Egypt!

Israel hath been swallowed up, Now they have been among nations, As a vessel in which is no delight.

Because Ephraim did multiply altars to sin, They have been to him altars to sin.

I write for him numerous things of My law, As a strange thing they have been reckoned.

Ephraim hath been smitten, Their root hath dried up, fruit they yield not, Yea, though they bring forth, I have put to death the desired of their womb.

Their heart hath been divided, now they are guilty, He doth break down their altars, He doth destroy their standing-pillars.

And destroyed have been high places of Aven, the sin of Israel. Thorn and bramble go up on their altars, And they have said to hills, Cover us, And to heights, Fall upon us.

Grievous hath been the sword in his cities, And it hath ended his bars, and consumed -- from their own counsels.

How do I give thee up, O Ephraim? Do I deliver thee up, O Israel? How do I make thee as Admah? Do I set thee as Zeboim? Turned in Me is My heart, kindled together have been My repentings.

Surely Gilead is iniquity, Only, vanity they have been, In Gilead bullocks they have sacrificed, Also their altars are as heaps, on the furrows of a field.

And by a prophet hath Jehovah brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet it hath been watched.

When Ephraim speaketh tremblingly, He hath been lifted up in Israel, When he becometh guilty in Baal he dieth.

According to their feedings they are satiated, They have been satiated, And their heart is lifted up, Therefore they have forgotten Me,