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 he goeth and taketh Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceiveth and beareth to him a son;

And she weaneth Lo-Ruhamah, and conceiveth, and beareth a son;

The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.

In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing, There is the whoredom of Ephraim -- defiled is Israel.

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

The sacrifices of Mine offerings! They sacrifice flesh, and they eat, Jehovah hath not accepted them, Now doth He remember their iniquity, And inspect their sin, They -- to Egypt they turn back.

As grapes in a wilderness I found Israel, As the first-fruit in a fig-tree, at its beginning, I have seen your fathers, They -- they have gone in to Baal-Peor, And are separated to a shameful thing, And are become abominable like their love.

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.

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

And Ephraim saith: 'Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself, All my labours -- they find not against me iniquity that is sin.'

And now do they add to sin, And make to them a molten image of their silver, By their own understanding -- idols, A work of artisans -- all of it, Of them they say, who are sacrificers among men, 'The calves let them kiss.'

Bound up is the iniquity of Ephraim, Hidden is his sin,

Pangs of a travailing woman come to him, He is a son not wise, For he remaineth not the time for the breaking forth of sons.