When LORD spoke at the first by Hosea, LORD said to Hosea, Go, take to thee a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom, departing from LORD.

And I will betroth thee to me forever. Yea, I will betroth thee to me in righteousness, and in justice, and in loving kindness, and in mercies.

I will even betroth thee to me in faithfulness, and thou shall know LORD.

And I said to her, Thou shall abide for me many days. Thou shall not play the harlot, and thou shall not be any man's wife. So I will also be toward thee.

And thou shall stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night. And I will destroy thy mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou have rejected knowledge, I also will reject thee, that thou shall be no priest to me. Since thou have forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy sons.

Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah. Sound an alarm at Beth-aven, behind thee, O Benjamin.

O Ephraim, what shall I do to thee? O Judah, what shall I do to thee? For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goes away early.

Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for thee when I bring back the captivity of my people.

They shall cry to me, My God, we, Israel know thee.

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? [How] shall I cast thee off, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? [How] shall I set thee as Zeboiim? My heart is turned within me. My compassions are kindled together.

I will not execute the fierceness of my anger. I will not return to destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of thee, and I will not come in wrath.

But I am LORD thy God from the land of Egypt. I will yet again make thee to dwell in tents, as in the days of the solemn feast.

I knew thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought.

Where now is thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities, and thy judges, of whom thou said, Give me a king and rulers?

I have given thee a king in my anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.

Assyria shall not save us. We will not ride upon horses, nor will we say any more to the work of our hands, Our gods. For in thee the fatherless finds mercy.