This is the word of the LORD, that came unto Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah kings of Judah: and in the time of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel.

She conceived yet again, and bare a daughter. And he said unto him, "Call her name Loruhamah, that is, 'Not obtaining mercy,' for I will have no pity upon the house of Israel, but forget them, and put them clean out of remembrance.

And though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, which can neither be measured nor told: yet in the place where it is said unto them, 'Ye be not my people': even there shall it be thus reported of them, 'They be the children of the living God.'

As for your mother, ye shall chide with her, and reprove her: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband, unless she put away her whoredoms out of my sight, and her adultery from her breasts.

If no, I shall strip her naked, and set her, even as she came into the world. Yea, I shall lay her waste, and make her like a wilderness, and slay her for thirst.

Their mother hath broken her wedlock, and she that bare them, is come to confusion. For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, that give me my water and my bread, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.'

There will I give her, her vineyards again; yea, and the valley of Achor also, to show her hope and comfort. Then shall she sing there as in the time of her youth, and like as in the day when she came out of the land of Egypt.

Then will I make a covenant with them, with the wild beasts, with the fowls of the air, and with everything that creepeth upon the earth. As for bow, sword and battle, I will destroy such out of the land, and will make them to sleep safely.

Then said the LORD to me, "Go yet thy way and vow an adulterous woman, whom thy neighbour loveth as the LORD doth the children of Israel: howbeit, they have respect to strange gods, and love the wine cans."

Hear the word of the LORD, O ye children of Israel: For the LORD must punish them, that dwell in the land. And why? There is no faithfulness, there is no mercy, there is no knowledge of God in the land:

Yet is there none, that will chasten nor reprove another. The priests which should reform other men, are become like the people.

My people perish, because they have no knowledge. Seeing then that thou hast refused understanding, therefore will I refuse thee also: so that thou shalt no more be my priest. And forsomuch as thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Thus the priest is become like the people. Wherefore I will punish them for their wicked ways, and reward them according to their own imaginations.

For Israel is gone back like a wanton cow. The LORD therefore shall make her feed, as the lamb that goeth astray.

And whereas Ephraim is become partaker of Idols: well, let him go.

I know Ephraim well enough, and Israel is not hid from me: for Ephraim is become a harlot, and Israel is defiled.

They shall come with their sheep and bullocks to seek the LORD, but they shall not find him, for he is gone from them.

As for the LORD, they have refused him, and brought up bastard children: a month therefore shall devour them with their portions.

Ephraim is oppressed, and can have no right of the law. For why? They follow the doctrines of men.

Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as a caterpillar.

I am unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a lion's whelp to the house of Judah. Even I, I will spoil them, and go my way. I will take them with me, and no man shall rescue them.

In their adversity they shall seek me, and say, "Come, let us turn again to the LORD: for he hath smitten us, and he shall heal us;

He hath wounded us, and he shall bind us up again; after two days shall he quicken us, in the third day he shall raise us up, so that we shall live in his sight.

Then shall we have understanding, and endeavor ourselves to know the LORD. He shall go forth as the spring of the day, and come unto us as the evening and morning rain upon the earth."

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, how shall I entreat thee? Seeing your love is like a morning cloud, and like a dew that goeth early away.

But even like as Adam did, so have they broken my covenant, and set me at naught.

Gilead is a city of wicked doers, of malicious people and bloodshedders.

The multitude of the priests is like a heap of thieves, murderers and bloodthirsty: for they have wrought abomination.

Horrible things have I seen in the house of Israel: there playeth Ephraim the harlot, and Israel is defiled.

All these burn in adultery, as it were an oven that the baker heateth when he hath left kneading, till the dough be leavened.

Even so goeth it this day with our kings and princes, for they begin to be wood drunken through wine: they use familiarity with such as deceive them.

They with the imagination of their heart are like an oven, their sleep is all night like the sleep of a baker, in the morning is he as hot as the flame of fire:

they are altogether as hot as an oven. They have devoured their own judges, all their kings are fallen: yet is there none of them that calleth upon me.

Therefore must Ephraim be mixed among the Heathen. Ephraim is become like a cake that no man turneth:

And the pride of Israel is cast down before their face, yet will they not turn to the LORD their God, nor seek him for all this.

Ephraim is like a dove, that is beguiled, and hath no heart. Now call they upon the Egyptians, now go they to the Assyrians:

but while they be going here and there, I shall spread my net over them, and draw them down as the fowls of the air. And according as they have been warned, so will I punish them.

They call not upon me with their hearts, but lie howling upon their beds. Whereas they come together, it is but for meat and drink, and me will they not obey.

They turn themselves, but not aright, and are become as a broken bow. Their princes shall be slain with the sword for the malice of their tongues, such blasphemies have they learned in the land of Egypt.

Set the horn to thy mouth, and blow: get thee swiftly as an Eagle into the house of the LORD: for they have broken my covenant, and transgressed my law.

but he hath refused the thing that is good: therefore shall the enemy follow upon him.

Thy calf, O Samaria, shall be taken away, for my wrathful indignation is gone forth against thee. How long will it be, before they can be cleansed?

Israel shall perish, the Gentiles shall entreat him as a foul vessel.

Since they went up to the Assyrians, they are become like a wild ass in the desert. Ephraim giveth rewards to get lovers.

They pour out no wine for a drink offering unto the LORD, neither give they him their slain offerings: but they be unto them as mourner's meats, wherein all they that eat them are defiled. For the bread that they have such lust unto, shall not come into the house of the LORD.

Be ye sure, O Israel: the time of visitation is come, the days of recompensing are at hand. As for the prophet, ye hold him for a fool; and him that is rich in the spirit, for a mad man: so great is your wickedness and malice.

Ephraim hath made himself a watchman of my God, a prophet that is become a snare to do hurt in every street, and abomination in the house of his God.

They be gone too far, and have destroyed themselves, like as they did afore time at Gibeah. Therefore their wickedness shall be remembered, and their sins punished.

I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness, and saw their fathers as the first figs in the top of the fig tree. But they are gone to Baalpeor, and run away from me to that shameful Idol, and are become as abominable as their lovers.

Ephraim, as me think, is planted in wealthiness, like as Tyre, but now must she bring her own children forth to the manslayer.

All their wickedness is done at Gilgal, there do I abhor them. For the ungraciousness of their own inventions, I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more, for all their princes are unfaithful.

Ephraim is hewn down, their root is dried up, so that they shall bring no more fruit: yea and though they bring forth any, yet will I slay even the best beloved fruit of their body.

Their heart is divided, therefore will they be destroyed. The LORD shall break down their Images, he shall destroy their altars.

Then shall they say, "We have no king. For why? We have not feared the LORD. And what shall then the king do to us?"

They commune together, and swear vain oaths: they be confederate together, therefore groweth their punishment, as the weeds in the furrows of the land.

Samaria with his king shall vanish away, as the scum upon the water.

The high places of Aven, where Israel do sin, shall be cast down: thistles and thorns shall grow upon their altars. Then shall they say to the mountains, "Cover us," and to the hills, "Fall upon us."

O Israel, thou hast sinned as Gibeah did afore time, where they remained: should not the battle then come upon the wicked children, as well as upon the Gibeonites?

Ephraim was unto me, as a cow that is used to go to plow; therefore I loved him, and fell upon his fair neck. I drove Ephraim, Judah plowed, and Jacob played the husbandman:

there shall grow a sedition among thy people. All thy strong cities shall be laid waste, even as Shalman was destroyed with his familiars, through him that was avenged of Arbel in the day of battle: where the mother perished with her children.

Even so shall it go with you, O Bethel, because of your malicious wickedness. Like as the morning goeth away, so shall the king of Israel pass.

that they should not go again into Egypt. And now is Assyria their king: for they would not turn unto me.

What great things have I given thee, O Ephraim? How faithfully have I defended thee, O Israel? Have I dealt with thee as with Adam? Or have I entreated thee like Zeboim? No, my heart is otherwise minded. Yea, my mercy is to fervent:

The LORD roareth like a lion, that they may follow him. Yea, as a lion roareth he, that they may be afraid like the children of the sea:

that they may be scattered away from Egypt, as men scare birds: and frayed away, as doves used to be, from the Assyrians' land: and that because I would have them tarry at home, sayeth the LORD.

Ephraim keepeth the air, and followeth after the east wind: he is ever increasing lies and destruction. They be confederate with the Assyrians, their oil is carried into Egypt.

He strove with the angel, and gat the victory: so that he prayed and desired him. He found him at Bethel, and there he talked with us.

Yet am I the LORD thy God, even as when I brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and set thee in thy tents, and as in the high feast days.

But at Gilead is the abomination, they are fallen to vanity. At Gilgal they have slain oxen: and as many heaps of stones as they had in their land furrows, so many altars have they made.

The abomination of Ephraim is come also into Israel. He is gone back to Baal, therefore must he die.

And now they sin more and more. Of their silver, they make them molten Images, like the idols of the Heathen, and yet all is nothing but the work of the craftsmen. Notwithstanding they preach of the same: whoso will kiss the calves, offereth to men.

Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that early passeth away, and like as dust that the wind taketh away from the floor, and as smoke that goeth out of the chimney.

Therefore will I be unto them as a lion, and as a leopard in the way to the Assyrians.

I will come upon them as a she bear, that is robbed of her whelps, and I will break that stubborn heart of theirs. There will I devour them as a lion: yea the wild beast shall tear them.

O Israel, thou doest but destroy thyself; In me only is thy help.

The wickedness of Ephraim is bound together, and his sin lieth hid.

Therefore shall sorrows come upon him, as upon a woman that travaileth. An indiscreet son is he: for he considereth not, that he should not have been able to have endured in the time of his birth,

Yet can I see no comfort, for when he is now the goodliest among the brethren, the East wind, even the wind of the LORD, shall come down from the wilderness, and dry up his conduits, and drink up his wells: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.

As for Samaria, they shall be made waste. And why? They are disobedient unto their God. They shall perish with the sword, their children shall be slain, and their women great with child shall be ripped up.

Assyria shall not save us, neither will we ride on horses: neither will we say to the works of our own hands, 'Ye are our Gods,' for thou hast compassion on the friendless.

I will heal their obedience and will love them of mine own accord: for my wrath is ceased from them.

I will be as dew to Israel, and he shall flourish as a lily, and stretch out his roots as Lebanon.

His branches shall run out, and as an olive tree shall his glory be, and his savour as Lebanon.

They that shall turn and sit in his shadow, shall live with corn, and flourish as vines. His renown shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim, what have ye any more to do with idols? I have healed him and looked on him. I will be as a great fir tree, and of me shall thy fruit be found.

Who is wise to understand these things and hath wit to perceive them? For the ways of the LORD are straight, and the righteous shall walk in them: but the wicked shall tumble in them.