CHAPTER 1

1 THE word of Jehovah, which came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel.

2 The beginning of what Jehovah spoke by Hosea: Jehovah said to Hosea, “Go, take to thee a wife of wantonness, and children of wantonness; for by wantoning the land hath become wanton, so that it follows not Jehovah.”

3 And he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bare him a son:

4 And Jehovah said to him, “Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while and I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel;

5 And it shall be in that day, that I will break in pieces the bow in the valley of Jezreel.”

6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter; and he said to him, “Call her name Loruchamah; for I will no more show mercy to the house of Israel, for I will utterly take them away: (56.) ¹⁰²¹⁰²     This number refers to the page where another rendering is proposed.

7 But to the house of Judah I will show mercy, and will save them by Jehovah their God; and I will save them neither by the bow, nor by the sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.”

8 And she weaned Lo-ruchamah, and conceived, and bare a son;

9 And he said, “Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not my people, and I will not be yours:

10 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 be, that in the place where it had been said to them, ‘Ye are not my people,’ even there it shall be said, ‘Ye are the children of the living God:’

11 And assembled together shall be the children of Judah and the children of Israel, and shall set over themselves one head, and shall ascend from the land, though great shall be the day of Jezreel.”