Hosea Chapter 1 The word of the Lord that came
unto Hosea the son of Beri, 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. The beginning of the word of
the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go,
take unto thee a wife of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms, for
the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the
Lord. So he went and took Goma, the daughter of Debalaim, which
conceived, and bare him a son. And the Lord said unto him, Call
his name Jezreel. For yet a little while, and I
will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will
cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall
come to pass at that day that I will break the bow of Israel
in the valley of Jezreel. And she conceived again, and
bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her
name Loruhamma. For I will no more have mercy
upon the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away.
But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save
them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor
by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. Now when she
had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bare a son. Then said God,
Call his name Lo-Ammai, for ye are not my people, and I will
not be your God. Yet the number of the children
of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured
nor numbered. and it shall come to pass, that
in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people,
there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living
God. Then shall the children of Judah
and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint
themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land,
for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Hosea chapter 2 Say ye unto your
brethren, Am I, and to your sisters, Ruhama? Plead with your mother,
plead, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband. Let
her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries
from between her breasts, 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 like a dry land, and slay her with thirst. And
I will not have mercy upon her children, for they be the children
of whoredoms. For their mother hath played
the harlot. She that conceived them hath done shamefully, for
she said, I will go after my lovers that give me my bread
and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. Therefore, behold, I will hedge
up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find
her paths. And she shall follow after her
lovers, but she shall not overtake them. And she shall seek them,
but shall not find them. Then shall she say, I will go
and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me
than now. For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine,
and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared
for bail. Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the
time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will
recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. And now
will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers. And
none shall deliver her out of mine hand. I will also cause
all her mirth to cease, her feast-days, her new moons, and her sabbaths,
and all her solemn feasts. And I will destroy her vines
and her fig-trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards
that my lovers have given me, and I will make them a forest,
and the beasts of the field shall eat them. And I will visit upon
her the days of Balaam, wherein she burned incense to them, and
she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went
after her lovers, and forget me, saith the Lord. Therefore
behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards
from thence, and the valley of Achor, for a door of hope. And
she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in
the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it
shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me
Ishai, and shalt call me no more Belai. For I will take away the
names of Balaam out of her mouth. And they shall no more be remembered
by their name. And in that day will I make a
covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls
of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground. And I will
break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth and
will make them to lie down safely. and I will betroth thee unto
me for ever. Yea, I will betroth thee unto
me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in
mercies. I will even betroth thee unto
me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord. And it shall
come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord. I will
hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth. And the earth
shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil, and they shall
hear Jezreel. And I will sow her unto me in
the earth, and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained
mercy. And I will say to them which
were not my people, Thou art my people, and they shall say,
Thou art my God. Hosea chapter 3 Then said the Lord unto me, Go,
yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress,
according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel,
who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine. So I bought
her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of
barley, and an half-homer of barley. And I said unto her,
Thou shalt abide for me many days. Thou shalt not play the
harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man. So will I also
be for thee. For the children of Israel shall
abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without
a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without
teraphim. Afterward shall the children
of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their
king, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter
days. Hosea chapter 4 Hear the word of the Lord, ye
children of Israel. For the Lord hath a controversy
with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor
mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying,
and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break
out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn,
and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish with the beasts
of the field and with the fowls of heaven, yea, the fishes of
the sea also shall be taken away. Yet let no man strive nor reprove
another, for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also
shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast
rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt
be no priest to me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the
law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. as they were increased,
so they sinned against me. Therefore will I change their
glory into shame. They eat up the sin of my people,
and they set their heart on their iniquity. And there shall be
like people, like priests, and I will punish them for their
ways and reward them their doings. For they shall eat and not have
enough. They shall commit whoredom and shall not increase, because
they have left off to take heed to the Lord. Whoredom and wine
and new wine take away the heart. My people ask counsel at their
stocks, and their staff declareth unto them, for the spirit of
whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a-whoring
from under their guard. They sacrifice upon the tops
of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and
poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good. Therefore
your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit
adultery. I will not punish your daughters
when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit
adultery. For themselves are separated with whores, and they
sacrifice with harlots. Therefore the people that doth
not understand shall fall. Though thou, Israel, play the
harlot, Yet let not Judah offend. And come not ye unto Gilgal,
Neither go ye up to Bethphaven, Nor swear the Lord liveth. For Israel slideth back as a
backsliding heifer, Now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a
large place. Ephraim is joined to idols, let
him alone. Their drink is sour. They have
committed whoredom continually. Her rulers with shame do love
give ye. The wind hath bound her up in
her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. Hosea chapter 5 Hear ye this, O priests, and
hearken the house of Israel, And give ye ear, O house of the
king, for judgment is toward you, Because ye have been a snare
on misper, and a net spread upon tabor, And the revolters are
profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them
all. I know, Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me. For now,
O Ephraim, thou commitest whoredom, and Israel is defiled. They will
not frame their doings to turn unto their God, for the spirit
of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known
the Lord. And the pride of Israel doth
testify to his face, therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall
in their iniquity. Judah also shall fall with them. They shall go with their flocks
and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not
find him. He hath withdrawn himself from
them. They have dealt treacherously
against the Lord, for they have begotten strange children. Now
shall a month devour them with their portions. Blow ye the cornet
in Gebea and the trumpet in Rama, Cry aloud at Beth-Avon after
thee, O Benjamin! Ephraim shall be desolate in
the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel have
I made known that which shall surely be. The princes of Judah
were like them that remove the bound therefore I will pour out
my wrath upon them like water Ephraim is oppressed and broken
in judgment because he willingly walked after the commandment
Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth and to the house of
Judah as rottenness When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw
his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to
King Jerob. Yet could he not heal you, nor
cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as
a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I,
will tear and go away. I will take away, and none shall
rescue him. I will go and return to my place
till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face. In their affliction
they will seek me early. Hosea chapter 6 Come, and let
us return unto the Lord. For he hath torn, and he will
heal us. He hath smitten, and he will
bind us up. After two days will he revive
us. In the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live
in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow
on to know the Lord. His going forth is prepared as
the morning, and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter
and former rain unto the earth. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto
thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto
thee? For your goodness is as the morning
cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I
hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my
mouth, and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge
of God more than burnt offerings. But they, like men, have transgressed
the covenant. There have they dealt treacherously
against me. Gilead is a city of them that
work iniquity and is polluted with blood, and as troops of
robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in
the way by consent, for they commit lewdness. I have seen
an horrible thing in the house of Israel. There is the whoredom
of Ephraim. Israel is defiled. Also, O Judah,
he hath set in harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity
of my people. Hosea chapter 7 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, and they consider not
in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Now their
own doings have beset them about, they are before my face. They
make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with
their lies. They are all adulterers, as an
oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he
hath kneaded the dough until it be leavened. In the day of
our king, the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine.
He stretched out his hand with scorners. For they have made
ready their heart like an oven whilst they lie in wait. Their
baker sleepeth all the night. In the morning it burneth as
a flaming fire. They are all hot as an oven,
and have devoured their judges. All their kings are fallen. There
is none among them that calleth unto me. Ephraim, he hath mixed
himself among the people, Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers
have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not. Yea, grey
hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. And
the pride of Israel testifieth to his face, and they do not
return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. Ephraim also is like a silly
dove without heart. They call to Egypt, they go to
Assyria. When they shall go, I will spread
my net upon them, I will bring them down as the fowls of the
heaven, I will chastise them as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them, for they have
fled from me. destruction unto them, because
they have transgressed against me. Though I have redeemed them,
yet they have spoken lies against me, and they have not cried unto
me with their heart when they howled upon their beds. They
assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against
me. Though I have bound and strengthened
their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. They return,
but not to the Most High. They are like a deceitful bow.
Their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue.
This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt. Hosea chapter 8 set the trumpet to thy mouth.
He shall come as an eagle against the house of the Lord, because
they have transgressed my covenant and trespassed against my law.
Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee, Israel hath
cast off the thing that is good. The enemy shall pursue him. They
have set up kings, but not by me. They have made princes, and
I knew it not. Of their silver and their gold
have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. Thy calf,
O Samaria, hath cast thee off. Mine anger is kindled against
them. How long will it be ere they attain to innocency? For
from Israel was it also. The workmen made it, therefore
it is not God. But the calf of Samaria shall
be broken in pieces. For they have sown the wind,
and they shall reap the whirlwind. It hath no stalk, the bud shall
yield no meal. If so be it yield, the strangers
shall swallow it up. Israel is swallowed up. Now shall
they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure. For they are gone up to Assyria,
a wild ass alone by himself. Ephraim hath hired lovers. Yea,
though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather
them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of
princes. Because Ephraim hath made many
altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin. I have written
to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as
a strange thing. They sacrifice flesh for the
sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it, but the Lord accepteth
them not. Now will he remember their iniquity,
and visit their sins. They shall return to Egypt. For
Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples, and Judah
hath multiplied fenced cities. But I will send a fire upon his
cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof. Hosea chapter
9 Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy
as other people, for thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God.
Thou hast loved a reward upon every corn floor. The floor and
the wine-press shall not feed them, and the new wine shall
fail in her. They shall not dwell in the Lord's
land, but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat
unclean things in Assyria. They shall not offer wine offerings
to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing unto him. Their sacrifices
shall be unto them as the bread of mourners All that eat thereof
shall be polluted For their bread for their soul shall not come
into the house of the Lord What will he do in the solemn day
and in the day of the feast of the Lord? For lo, they are gone
because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up. Memphis
shall bury them. The pleasant places for their
silver. Nettles shall possess them. Thorns shall be in their
tabernacles. The days of visitation are come,
the days of recompense are come. Israel shall know it. The prophet
is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of
thine iniquity and the great hatred. The watchman of Ephraim
was with my God, but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all
his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply
corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gebeah. Therefore he
will remember their iniquity. He will visit their sins. I found
Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the first
ripe in the fig tree at her first time. But they went to Baalpeor
and separated themselves under that shame. And their abominations
were according as they loved. As for Ephraim, their glory shall
fly away like a bird from the birth and from the womb and from
the conception. Though they bring up their children,
yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left.
Yea, woe also to them when I depart from them. Ephraim, as I saw
Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place. But Ephraim shall bring
forth his children to the murderer. Give them, O Lord, what wilt
thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb
and dry breasts. All their wickedness is in Gilgal,
for there I hated them. For the wickedness of their doings
I will drive them out of mine house. I will love them no more. All their princes are revolters.
Ephraim is smitten. Their root is dried up. They
shall bear no fruit. Yea, though they bring forth,
yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. My God will
cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him. And
they shall be wanderers among the nations. Hosea chapter 11 When Israel was a child, then
I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. As they called
them, so they went from them. They sacrificed unto Balaam,
and burned incense to graven images. I taught Ephraim also
to go, taking them by their arms, but they knew not that I healed
them. I drew them with cords of a man,
with bands of love. And I was to them as they that
take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them. He
shall not return into the land of Egypt. And the Assyrian shall
be his king, because they refused to return. And the sword shall
abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches and devour
them, because of their own counsels. And my people are bent to backsliding
from me. Though they called them to the
Most High, none at all would exalt him. How shall I give thee
up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel?
How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim?
Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness
of mine 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 enter into the city. They shall walk after the Lord. He shall roar like a lion. When he shall roar, then the
children shall tremble from the west. They shall tremble as a
bird out of Egypt and as a dove out of the land of Assyria. And
I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord. Ephraim compasseth
me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit. But Judah
yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints. Hosea chapter 13 When Ephraim spake trembling,
he exalted himself in Israel. But when he offended in Baal,
he died. And now they sin more and more,
and have made them molten images 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 that sacrifice kiss the calves. Therefore they shall be as the
morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the
chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and
as the smoke out of the chimney. Yet I am the Lord thy God from
the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God but me, for there
is no Saviour beside me. I did know thee in the wilderness,
in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so
were they filled. They were filled, and their heart
was exalted. Therefore have they forgotten
me. Therefore I will be unto them as a lion, as a leopard,
by the way will I observe them. I will meet them as a bear that
is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the call of their heart,
and there will I devour them like a lion. The wild beast shall
tear them. O Israel, thou hast destroyed
thyself, but in me is thine help. I will be thy king. Where is
any other that may save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges,
of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princess? I gave thee
a king in mine anger, And took him away in my wrath. The iniquity
of Ephraim is bound up, his sin is hid. The sorrows of a travailing
woman shall come upon him. He is as an unwise son, for he
should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.
I will ransom them from the power of the grave, I will redeem them
from death. O death, I will be thy plagues!
O grave, I will be thy destruction! Repentance shall be hid from
mine eyes. Though he be fruitful among his
brethren, an east wind shall come. The wind of the Lord shall
come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry,
and his fountain shall be dried up. He shall spoil the treasure
of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall become desolate,
for she hath rebelled against her God. They shall fall by the
sword, their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women
with child shall be ripped up. Hosea chapter 14. O Israel, return
unto the Lord thy God. For thou hast fallen by thine
iniquity. Take with you words, and turn
to the Lord. Say unto him, Take away all iniquity,
and receive us graciously. So will we render the calves
of our lips. Asher shall not save us, we will
not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work
of our hands, ye are our gods. For in thee the fatherless findeth
mercy. I will heal their backsliding.
I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from
him. I will be as the dew unto Israel,
he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and
his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow
shall return. They shall revive as the corn
and grow as the vine. The scent thereof shall be as
the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have
I to do any more with idols? I have heard him and observed
him. I am like a green fir-tree. From me is thy fruit found. Who
is wise, and he shall understand these things, prudent, and he
shall know them? For the ways of the Lord are
right, and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors
shall fall therein.