When a message from the LORD came to Hosea, the LORD told him, "Go marry a prostitute and have children with her, because the land is prostituting itself by departing from the LORD."

The LORD told Hosea, "Name the child "Jezreel,' because in a little while I'll avenge the blood that was shed by Jehu's dynasty at Jezreel. I'll put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, so the LORD told Hosea, "Name her "Lo-ruhamah,' because I will no longer be showing mercy to the house of Israel, nor will I forgive them.

so the LORD told Hosea, "Name him "Lo-ammi,' because you are not my people, and I will not be your God.

Plead with your mother, plead-- because she [is] not my wife, and I [am] not her husband. Let her put away her whoring {from before her}, and her adultery from between her breasts.

And, on her children, not have compassion, - because, the children of paramours, they are.

Because their mother was unfaithful; she who conceived them has acted shamefully, for she said: "I will go after my lovers, the ones who give [me] my bread, my water, my wool, and my flax, my oil, and my drink."

She will pursue her lovers, but she won't catch up with them. She will seek them, but she won't find them. Then she will say, "I'll go back and return to my first husband, because it was better for me then than now.'

I will make you my wife because of my faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.

Hear the word of Yahweh, ye sons of Israel, - that, a controversy, hath Yahweh with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness, nor lovingkindness, nor knowledge of God, in the land:

Therefore the land [continually] mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes [in tragic suffering]
Together with the animals of the open country and the birds of the heavens;
Even the fish of the sea disappear.

My people, are destroyed, for lack of knowledge, - Because, thou, hast rejected knowledge, therefore will I reject thee from ministering as priest unto me, and, because thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also, will forget thy children.

They will eat, but will not be satisfied. They will engage in prostitution, but they won't increase, because they have stopped listening to the LORD.

My people, consult {their wooden idols}, and their divining rod gives them oracles; because a spirit of whoredom led [them] astray, and they played the whore from under their God.

On the headlands of the mountains, they sacrifice, and, on the hills, burn they incense, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because, pleasant, is the shade thereof: For this cause, do your daughters, become unchaste, and, your brides, commit adultery.

However, I'm not going to punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because their men are themselves immoral they offer sacrifices with prostitutes. These people who aren't discerning will stumble.

The wind hath bound her up in its wings, - that they may be ashamed, because of their sacrifices.

"Hear this, priests, pay attention, house of Israel, listen, royal family! For judgment is coming your way, because you have been a trap to Mizpah, a snare spread out on Mount Tabor.

I myself know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from me; because now you have played the whore, Ephraim-- Israel is defiled.

"Their actions hinder them from turning to their God, because a spirit of fornication is in their midst, and the LORD they do not know.

The arrogance of Israel testifies against it; Israel and Ephraim will be overthrown because of their iniquity. Even Judah will be brought down with them.

They have committed treason against the Lord, because they bore illegitimate children. Soon the new moon festival will devour them and their fields.

Oppressed, is Ephraim, crushed in judgment, - because he hath, wilfully, walked after falsehood.

Because I [will be] like a lion to Ephraim and like a fierce strong lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear and I will go; I will carry off, and there is no one who delivers.

Come, let us return to Yahweh; because [it is] he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck us down and will bind us up.

Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.

Gilead [is] a city of evil, a cunning [city] because of blood.

And, like liers in wait for a man, in troops, is a band of priests, on the road, will they murder towards Shechem, - because, a shameful deed, they have done.

when I would heal Israel, and the corruption of Ephraim is revealed, and the wicked deeds of Samaria; because they deal [in] falsehood, [the] thief breaks in, [and the] bandit raids the outside.

Because they are kindled like an oven, their heart burns within them; all night their anger {smolders}, [in the] morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

Woe to them because they have run away from me. Ruin to them because they have sinned against me. Even though I redeemed them, they spread lies against me.

They do not cry out to me from their heart, but they wail on their beds; because of grain and new wine they lacerate themselves; they depart from me.

They return but not to the Most High. They are like a defective weapon. Their princes will fall by the sword because of their raging tongue, and they will be a laughingstock in the land of Egypt."

To thy mouth, with a horn! Like an eagle, on the house of Yahweh, - because they have violated my covenant, and, against my law, have they transgressed.

Because from Israel it was fashioned by craftsmen, it is not God; therefore Samaria's calf will be broken in pieces.

"Because they sow the wind, they will reap the wind storm. The plant has no stalk and its bud yields no grain. Even if there's a harvest, foreigners will gobble it up.

"Because they went over to Assyria, they are like a wild donkey alone by itself. Ephraim has hired some lovers.

Yes, even though [with presents] they hire allies among the nations,
Now I will gather them up;
And [in a little while] they will begin to grow weak and diminish
Because of the burden imposed by the king of princes [the king of Assyria].

Because Ephraim hath multiplied altars sinfully, they have become to him the altars of sin.

"Don't celebrate, Israel, like other nations would rejoice, because you left your God by committing fornication, loving the profit you gained on all of the threshing floors.

They shall not pour out to Yahweh - wine, neither shall they be pleasing to him, their sacrifices, are as the food of mourning to them, all that eat thereof, shall defile themselves, because, their food for their appetite, entereth not into the house of Yahweh.

For, lo, they have gone because of destruction, Egypt gathereth them, Moph burieth them, The desirable things of their silver, Nettles possess them -- a thorn is in their tents.

Come are the days of visitation, come are the days of recompense, Let Israel know! The prophet is foolish, the man of the spirit doth rave, because of the greatness of thine iniquity, therefore great is the prosecution.

As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird;
No birth, no pregnancy, and [because of their impurity] no conception.

Even though their children have come to growth I will take them away, so that not a man will be there; for their evil-doing will be complete and they will be put to shame because of it.

All their evil is in Gilgal, Surely there I have hated them, Because of the evil of their doings, Out of My house I do drive them, I add not to love them, all their heads are apostates.

My God will reject them, because they hearkened not unto him, - that they may become wanderers throughout the nations.

For now they say: We have no king, Because we have not feared Jehovah, And the king -- what doth he for us?

About the calves of Beth-aven, will the inhabitant of Samaria be concerned, - for the people thereof, have mourned over it, and, the ascetics thereof, who, over it, used to exult, shall mourn for the glory thereof, because it hath departed therefrom.

Even the calf idol will be carried to Assyria, as tribute for the great king. Ephraim will be disgraced; Israel will be put to shame because of its wooden idol.

From the days of Gibeah thou hast sinned, O Israel, There they have stood, Not overtake them in Gibeah doth battle, Because of sons of perverseness.

Ye have plowed lawlessness, perversity, have ye reaped, ye have eaten the fruit of deception, - because thou didst trust in thy chariots, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Even so, hath Bethel, done to you, because of your exceeding wickedness, - in the dawn, shall the king of Israel be, utterly silenced.

Because Israel is a youth, and I love him, Out of Egypt I have called for My Son.

"They will not return to the land of Egypt; instead, the Assyrian will be their king, because they kept refusing to repent.

Therefore shall the sword, rage, in his cities, and make an end of his multitudes, and consume them, - because of their counsels.

I cannot carry out my fierce anger! I cannot totally destroy Ephraim! Because I am God, and not man -- the Holy One among you -- I will not come in wrath!

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 claims, "I have become rich, I have made a fortune! Because of all my wealth, no one will find any iniquity or sin in me.'

"I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt, and you have known no god except for me, because except for me there is no savior.

Whenever they were pastured, then were they satisfied, They were satisfied, and their heart, was lifted up, - because of this, they forgat me.

You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your help.

I have given you a king, because I was angry, and have taken him away in my wrath.

The labor pains of childbirth come for him; he [is] an unwise son because [at the] proper time, he does not present himself {at the mouth of the womb}.

Become desolate doth Samaria, Because she hath rebelled against her God, By sword they do fall, Their sucklings are dashed in pieces, And its pregnant ones are ripped up!

Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
For you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Thou art our God; because in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

I will heal their disloyalty; I will love them freely because my anger has turned back from them.