'Lord' in the Bible

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

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and have children of [her] prostitution; for the land commits great acts of prostitution by not following the Lord.”

And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet in a little while I will avenge the blood [that was shed in the Valley] of Jezreel and inflict the punishment for it on the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Then Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah (not shown mercy), for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them.

But I will have mercy on the house of Judah and will rescue them by the Lord their God, and will not rescue them by bow, sword, war, horses, or horsemen.”

And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-Ammi (not my people), for you are not My people and I am not your God.”

Then the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together,And they will appoint for themselves one leader,And they will go up from the land,For great and glorious will be the day of Jezreel.

“Therefore, behold, I [the Lord God] will hedge up her way with thorns;And I will build a wall against her [shutting off her way] so that she cannot find her paths.

“For she (Israel) has not noticed nor understood nor realized that it was I [the Lord God] who gave her the grain and the new wine and the oil,And lavished on her silver and gold,Which they used for Baal and made into his image.

“And I will punish her for the [feast] days of the Baals,When she used to offer sacrifices and burn incense to themAnd adorn herself with her earrings and nose rings and her jewelry,And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” says the Lord.

“It shall come about in that day,” says the Lord,“That you will call Me Ishi (my husband)And will no longer call Me Baali (my Baal).

“I will betroth you to Me in stability and in faithfulness.Then you will know (recognize, appreciate) the Lord [and respond with loving faithfulness].

“It will come about in that day that I will respond,” says the Lord.“I will respond to the heavens [which ask for rain to pour on the earth], and they will respond to the earth [which begs for the rain],

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman (Gomer) who is beloved by her husband and yet is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love the raisin cakes [used in the feasts in pagan worship].”

Afterward the sons of Israel will return [in deep repentance] and seek the Lord their God and [seek from the line of] David their king [the King of kings—the Messiah]; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness and blessing in the last days.

Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel,For the Lord has a [legal] case with the inhabitants of the land,Because there is no faithfulness [no steadfast love, no dependability] or loyalty or kindnessOr knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land.

They will eat, but not have enough;They will play the prostitute, but not increase [their descendants],Because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.

Though you, Israel, play the prostitute [by worshiping idols],Do not let Judah become guilty [of the same thing];And do not go to Gilgal [where idols are worshiped],Or go up to Beth-aven (House of Wickedness),Nor swear [oaths in idolatrous worship, saying],“As the Lord lives!”

For Israel is stubborn,Like a stubborn heifer.Can the Lord now pasture themLike a lamb in a large field?

When their liquor is gone [and their drinking parties are over],They habitually go to play the prostitute;Ephraim’s rulers continue to dearly love shame [more than her glory which is the Lord, Israel’s God].

The revolters have gone deep into depravity,But I [the Lord God] will chastise them all.

Their [immoral] practices will not permit themTo return to their God,For the spirit of prostitution is within themAnd they do not know the Lord [they do not recognize, appreciate, heed or cherish Him].

They will go with their flocks and with their herdsTo seek the Lord [diligently searching for Him], but they will not find Him;He has withdrawn from them [refusing to hear the prayers of the unrepentant].

They have dealt treacherously against the Lord,For they have borne illegitimate (pagan) children.Now the New Moon will devour them along with their land [bringing judgment and captivity].

“Come and let us return [in repentance] to the Lord,For He has torn us, but He will heal us;He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.

“So let us know and become personally acquainted with Him; let us press on to know and understand fully the [greatness of the] Lord [to honor, heed, and deeply cherish Him].His appearing is prepared and is as certain as the dawn,And He will come to us [in salvation] like the [heavy] rain,Like the spring rain watering the earth.”

O Ephraim, what shall I do with you?O Judah, what shall I do with you?For your [wavering] loyalty and kindness are [transient] like the morning cloudAnd like the dew that goes away early.

Though the pride of Israel testifies against him,Yet they do not return [in repentance] to the Lord their God,Nor seek nor search for nor desire Him [as essential] in spite of all this.

Set the trumpet to your lips [announcing impending judgment]!Like a [great] vulture the enemy comes against the house of the Lord,Because they have broken My covenantAnd transgressed and rebelled against My law.

As for My sacrificial offerings,They sacrifice the meat [as a mere formality] and eat it,But the Lord is not pleased with them and does not accept them.Now He will remember and take into account their wickedness and guilt,And punish them for their sins.They will return [in captivity] to [another] Egypt [that is, Assyria].

They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the Lord;Their sacrifices will not please Him.Their bread will be like mourners’ bread [eaten at funerals];All who eat it will be [ceremonially] unclean,For their bread will be for themselves;It will not enter the house of the Lord [to be consecrated].

What will you do on the day of the appointed festivalAnd on the day of the feast of the Lord [when you are in exile]?

They have deeply corrupted (perverted) themselvesAs in the days of Gibeah.The Lord will remember their wickedness and guilt;He will punish their sins.

Give them [the punishment they deserve], O Lord! What will You give?Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

All their wickedness [says the Lord] is focused in Gilgal;Indeed, I came to hate them there!Because of the wickedness of their [idolatrous] practicesI will drive them out of My house (the land of Israel)!I will love them no longer;All their princes are rebels.

Their heart is divided (faithless);Now they must bear their guilt and punishment.The Lord will break down [the horns of] their altars;He will destroy their idolatrous pillars.

Surely now they will say [in despair], “We have no [true] king,For we do not revere the Lord;And as for the king, what can he do for us [to rescue us]?”

When it is my desire [to defend My righteousness], I will chastise them;And [hostile] peoples will be gathered against themWhen they are bound and punished for their double guilt [their revolt against the Lord and their worship of idols].

Sow with a view to righteousness [that righteousness, like seed, may germinate];Reap in accordance with mercy and lovingkindness.Break up your uncultivated ground,For it is time to seek and search diligently for the Lord [and to long for His blessing]Until He comes to rain righteousness and His gift of salvation on you.

They will walk after the Lord [in obedience and worship],Who will roar like a lion;He will roar [summoning them]And His sons will come trembling from the west.

They will come trembling and hurriedly like birds from EgyptAnd like doves from the land of Assyria;And I will settle them in their houses [in the land of their inheritance], declares the Lord.

The Lord also has a dispute [a legal complaint and an indictment] with Judah,And He will punish Jacob in accordance with his ways;He will repay him in accordance with his deeds.

He wrestled with the angel and prevailed;He wept [in repentance] and sought His favor.He met Him at BethelAnd there God spoke with [him and through him with] us—

Even the Lord, the God of hosts,The name of Him [who spoke with Jacob] is the Lord.

But I have been the Lord your God since [you became a nation in] the land of Egypt;I will make you live in tents again,As in the days of the appointed and solemn festival.

And by a prophet (Moses) the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,And by a prophet Israel was preserved.

Ephraim has provoked most bitter anger;So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him [invoking punishment]And bring back to him his shame and dishonor.

Yet I have been the Lord your GodSince [the time you became a nation in] the land of Egypt;And you were not to know any god except Me,For there is no savior besides Me.

For though he flourishes among the reeds (his fellow tribes),An east wind (Assyria) will come,The breath of the Lord rising from the desert;And Ephraim’s spring will become dryAnd his fountain will be dried up.Assyria will plunder his treasury of every precious object.

O Israel, return [in repentance] to the Lord your God,For you have stumbled and fallen [visited by tragedy], because of your sin.

Take the words [confessing your guilt] with you and return to the Lord.Say to Him, “Take away all our wickedness;Accept what is good and receive us graciously,So that we may present the fruit of our lips (gratitude).

“Assyria will not save us;We will not ride on horses [relying on military might],Nor will we say again to [the idols who are] the work of our hands,‘You are our gods.’For in You [O Lord] the orphan finds love and compassion and mercy.”

Whoever is [spiritually] wise, let him understand these things;Whoever is [spiritually] discerning and understanding, let him know them.For the ways of the Lord are right,And the righteous will walk in them,But transgressors will stumble and fall in them.