A message from the LORD came to Beeri's son Hosea during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Joash's son Jeroboam, who was king of Israel.

The beginning of the word of Yahweh with Hosea, was, - that Yahweh said unto Hosea, Go take thee a woman of unchastity, and the children of unchastity, for, unchastely indeed, hath the land been going away from following Yahweh.

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.

And it was in that day and I broke the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured or numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Sons of the living God.

lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her as a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

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."

And she shall pursue after her lovers, and shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, and shall not find them: and she shall say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now.

For she had no knowledge that it was I who gave her the grain and the wine and the oil, increasing her silver and gold which they gave to the Baal.

"Therefore I'll return and take back my grain at harvest time and my new wine in its season. I'll take back my wool and my flax that was to have covered her nakedness.

And I will give her vine-gardens from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will give her answer there as in the days when she was young, and as in the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

And it was in that day, says Jehovah, thou shalt call me, My husband; and thou shalt no more call to me, My Lord.

And it was in that day, I will answer, says Jehovah, I will answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth;

I will sow them upon earth, for a seed to mine own self, and will have mercy upon her, that was without mercy. And to them which were not my people, I will say, 'Thou art my people.' And he shall say, 'Thou art my God.'"

And thou wert weak in the day, and the prophet also was weak with thee by night, and I destroyed thy mother.

As they were magnified, so, they sinned against me, - My glory - for what was contemptible, did they exchange.

And it was as the people so the priest: and I reviewed upon them their way; and their doings I will turn back to them.

Upon the heads of the mountains they will sacrifice, and upon the hills they will burn incense, under the oak and the white poplar and the terebinth, because its shadow was good: for this your daughters will commit fornication, and your brides shall commit adultery.

For as a stubborn heifer Israel was stubborn: now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide place.

And, a slaughter, have apostates deeply designed, - though, I, was a rebuker to them all.

I knew Ephraim and Israel were not hid from me: for now thou didst commit fornication, O Ephraim; Israel was deified.

And the pride of Israel was humbled in his face, and Israel and Ephraim shall be weak in their iniquity; Judah also being weak with them.

Ephraim is oppressed. He is crushed in judgment, because he was content to walk after [man's] command.

But, I, was like a moth, to Ephraim, - and like rotten wood to the house of Judah.

When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sore, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb; but he was unable to heal you, nor hath he removed your sore.

And we shall know, we shall pursue to know Jehovah: as the morning his going forth was prepared; and he shall come as the rain to us, as the latter rain, the early rain of the earth.

In the house of Israel I saw something horrible: there the fornications to Ephraim, Israel was defiled.

When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.

On the day of our king, the rulers made him ill with the heat of wine; his hand was stretched out with the men of pride.

Ephraim will mingle himself among my people; Ephraim was a cake not turned.

Strangers consumed his strength, and he knew not: also grayness of hair was sprinkled upon him, and he knew not

And the pride of Israel was humbled in his face: and they turned not back to Jehovah their God. and sought him not in all this

Ephraim was like a dove, silly, {without sense}; they call [to] Egypt, they go [to] Assyria.

May trouble be theirs! for they have gone far away from me; and destruction, for they have been sinning against me; I was ready to be their saviour, but they said false words against me.

Thy calf rejected, O Shomeron; mine anger was kindled against them: how long shall they not be able to be clean?

For from Israel was it also: the workman made it; therefore it is not God: but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.

Israel was swallowed down: now they were among the nations as a vessel no delight in it.

Ephraim [was] a watchman with my God. As for the prophet, a fowler's snare is in all his ways, [and] enmity in the house of his God.

When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the wilderness. I viewed your ancestors like an early fig on a fig tree in its first season. Then they came to Baal-Peor and they dedicated themselves to shame -- they became as detestable as what they loved.

Ephraim, as I saw him, was a Tyre planted in a beautiful place; but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the slayer.

Ephraim was smitten, their root was dried up, they shall not make fruit: also if they shall bring forth, and I destroyed the desires of their womb.

Israel was a goodly vine, but he hath brought forth unprofitable fruit: yea, the more fruit he had the more altars he made; the more good I did to their land, the more friendship showed they to their Images.

Their heart was divided; now shall they be guilty: he will break down their altars, he shall lay waste their images

For the calves of the house of vanity they shall fear dwelling in Shomeron: for his people mourned over it, and his priests will exult over it, for its glory, for it was removed from it

Shomeron, her king was cut off as chiefs upon the face of the waters.

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:

And a tumult shall arise among thy peoples, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces with the children.

Thus did the house of God to you from the face of the evil of your evil: in the morning the king of Israel being cut off, was cut off.

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

And I it was that taught Ephraim to walk, He took them upon his arms, but they knew not that I healed them.

I drew them with bands of a man, with cords of love; and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I gently caused them to eat.

He was not to turn back into the land of Egypt, Howbeit, the Assyrian - he, became his king, for they refused to turn.

And the sword was polished in his cities, and it consumed his branches, and devoured from their counsels.

How shall I give thee up, O Ephraim? Shall I deliver thee over, O Israel? How shall I give thee as the earth? Shall I set thee as roes? My heart was turned upon me; my grievings were kindled together.

Ephraim surrounded me with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit: and Judah even ruled with God, and was faithful with the holy ones.

He took his brother by the heel, when he was yet in his mother's womb: and in his strength he wrestled with God.

And Ephraim will say, Surely I became rich, I found to me wealth: all my labors shall not be found to me iniquity which was sin.

And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.

When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he exalted himself in Israel: but he trespassed through Baal, and he died.

I had knowledge of you in the waste land where no water was.

According to their pasture, they became full; they became full, and their heart was exalted: therefore have they forgotten me.

It hath utterly destroyed thee, O Israel, for it was against me, as thy helper!

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

The iniquity of Ephraim was bound up; his sin was concealed.

The pangs of a woman in travail shall come upon him: he is a son not wise; for at the time of the breaking forth of children, he was not there.

Ephraim: What to me yet to images? I humbled, and I will regard him: I as the green cypress From me thy fruit was found.