When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him:

Go and marry a promiscuous wife
and have children of promiscuity,
for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity
by abandoning the Lord.

And I will punish her for the days of the Baals
when she burned incense to them,
put on her rings and jewelry,
and went after her lovers,
but forgot Me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

I will not punish your daughters
when they act promiscuously
or your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
for the men themselves go off with prostitutes
and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes.
People without discernment are doomed.

When their drinking is over,
they turn to promiscuity.
Israel’s leaders fervently love disgrace.

When Ephraim saw his sickness
and Judah his wound,
Ephraim went to Assyria
and sent a delegation to the great king.
But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.

A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah.

When I return My people from captivity,

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when I heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim and the crimes of Samaria
will be exposed.
For they practice fraud;
a thief breaks in;
a raiding party pillages outside.

When Ephraim multiplied his altars for sin,
they became his altars for sinning.

Even if they raise children,
I will bereave them of each one.
Yes, woe to them when I depart from them!

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

They will follow the Lord;
He will roar like a lion.
When He roars,
His children will come trembling from the west.

When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling;
he was exalted in Israel.
But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.

When they had pasture,
they became satisfied;
they were satisfied,
and their hearts became proud.
Therefore they forgot Me.

Labor pains come on him.
He is not a wise son;
when the time comes,
he will not be born.