Hosea 1

¹The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri, in the days of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel.

The Family of Hosea

²When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and have children of prostitution, for the land commits great prostitution by forsaking the Lord.”^{* 3}So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel,^a for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.^{* 5}On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”^*

⁶She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah,^b for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them.^{* 7}But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”^*

⁸When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹Then the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi,^c for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”^d

The Restoration of Israel

^10eYet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered, and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”^{* 11}The people of Judah and the people of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head, and they shall rise up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.^*