Hosea 2:14–23

The Lord’s Love for Unfaithful Israel

¹⁴“But then I will win her back once again.

I will lead her into the desert

and speak tenderly to her there.

¹⁵I will return her vineyards to her

and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.

She will give herself to me there,

as she did long ago when she was young,

when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.

¹⁶When that day comes,” says the Lord,

“you will call me ‘my husband’

instead of ‘my master.’

¹⁷O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips,

and you will never mention them again.

¹⁸On that day I will make a covenant

with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky

and the animals that scurry along the ground

so they will not harm you.

I will remove all weapons of war from the land,

all swords and bows,

so you can live unafraid

in peace and safety.

¹⁹I will make you my wife forever,

showing you righteousness and justice,

unfailing love and compassion.

²⁰I will be faithful to you and make you mine,

and you will finally know me as the Lord.

²¹“In that day, I will answer,”

says the Lord.

“I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds.

And the sky will answer the earth with rain.

²²Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries

of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees.

And they in turn will answer,

‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!’

²³At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites

and raise them for myself.

I will show love

to those I called ‘Not loved.’

And to those I called ‘Not my people,’

I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’

And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’ ”