Hosea 2:5–13

⁵Yes, their mother is promiscuous;

she conceived them and acted shamefully.^ac

For she thought, “I will follow my lovers,^ad

the men who give me my food and water,

my wool and flax, my oil and drink.”^ae

⁶Therefore, this is what I will do:

I will block her^A way^af with thorns;^ag

I will enclose her with a wall,

so that she cannot find her paths.^a

⁷She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;^b

she will look for them but not find them.

Then she will think,

“I will go back to my former husband,^c

for then it was better for me than now.”^d

⁸She does not recognize^e

that it is I who gave her the grain,^f

the new wine, and the fresh oil.

I lavished silver and gold on her,

which they used for Baal.

⁹Therefore, I will take back my grain in its time^g

and my new wine in its season;

I will take away my wool and linen,

which were to cover her nakedness.

¹⁰Now I will expose her shame^h

in the sight of her lovers,

and no one will rescue her from my power.

¹¹I will put an end to all her celebrations:ⁱ

her feasts,^j New Moons,^k and Sabbaths—

all her festivals.

¹²I will devastate her vines and fig trees.^l

She thinks that these are her wages

that her lovers have given her.

I will turn them into a thicket,^m

and the wild animals will eat them.ⁿ

¹³And I will punish her for the days of the Baals,^o

to which she burned incense.^p

She put on her rings and her jewelry^q

and followed her lovers,

but she forgot me.^r

This is the Lord’s declaration.