The Word of Jehovah 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.

So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, who conceived and bore him a son.

And when she had weaned No-mercy she conceived and bore a son.

They eat up the sin of My people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.

I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; the harlotry of Ephraim is there; Israel is defiled.

Because Ephraim has made many altars to sin, altars shall be to him to sin.

Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. The thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us.

When Israel was a child, then I loved him and called My son out of Egypt.

And Ephraim said, Yet I have become rich, I have found much wealth for myself. In all my labors they shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.

And now they sin more and more, and have made themselves a molten image of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.

The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin hidden.

The pains of a woman in travail shall come to him. He is an unwise son; for he cannot stand still in the time of the breaking forth of sons.