Hosea 2:5–13

⁵Yes, their mother is promiscuous;

she conceived them and acted shamefully. ^k

For she thought, “I will go after my lovers, ^l

the men who give me my food and water,

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

⁶Therefore, this is what I will do:

I will block her ⁿway ^owith thorns; ^p

I will enclose her with a wall,

so that she cannot find her paths. ^q

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

she will seek them but not find them.

Then she will think,

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

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

⁸She does not recognize ^u

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

the new wine, and the oil.

I lavished silver and gold on her,

which they used for Baal.

⁹Therefore, I will take back My grain in its time ^w

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 ^x

in the sight of her lovers,

and no one will rescue her from My hands.

¹¹I will put an end to all her celebrations: ^y

her feasts, ^zNew Moons, ^aand Sabbaths—

all her festivals.

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

She thinks that these are her wages

that her lovers have given her.

I will turn them into a thicket, ^c

and the wild animals will eat them. ^d

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

when she burned incense to them, ^f

put on her rings and jewelry, ^g

and went after her lovers,

but forgot Me. ^h

This is the Lord’s declaration.