1 The worde of the Lord that came vnto Hosea the sonne of Beeri, in the daies of Vzziah, Iotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah Kings of Iudah, and in the daies of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash king of Israel. 2 At the beginning the Lord spake by Hosea, and the Lord said vnto Hosea, Goe, take vnto thee a wife of fornications, and children of fornications: for the lande hath committed great whoredome, departing from the Lord. 3 So he went, and tooke Gomer, ye daughter of Diblaim, which conceiued and bare him a sonne. 4 And the Lord said vnto him, Cal his name Izreel: for yet a litle, and I will visite the blood of Izreel vpon the house of Iehu, and will cause to cease the kingdome of the house of Israel. 5 And at that day will I also breake the bowe of Israel in the valley of Izreel. 6 She conceiued yet againe, and bare a daughter, and God saide vnto him, Call her name Lo-ruhamah: for I will no more haue pitie vpon the house of Israel: but I wil vtterly take them away. 7 Yet I will haue mercie vpon the house of Iudah, and wil saue them by the Lord their God, and wil not saue them by bow, nor by sword nor by battell, by horses, nor by horsemen. 8 Nowe when she had wained Lo-ruhamah, shee conceiued, and bare a sonne. 9 Then saide God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for yee are not my people: therefore will I not be yours. 10 Yet the nomber of the children of Israel shall be as the sande of the sea, which can not be measured nor tolde: and in the place where it was saide vnto them, Yee are not my people, it shall be saide vnto them, Yee are the sonnes of the liuing God. 11 Then shall the children of Iudah, and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint them selues one head, and they shall come vp out of the land: for great is the day of Izreel.
1 This is the message which the Lord gave Hosea son of Beeri during the time that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
Hosea's Wife and Children
2 When the Lord first spoke to Israel through Hosea, he said to Hosea, “Go and get married; your wife will be unfaithful, and your children will be just like her. In the same way my people have left me and become unfaithful.”
3 So Hosea married a woman named Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. After the birth of their first child, a son, 4 the Lord said to Hosea, “Name him ‘Jezreel,’ because it will not be long before I punish the king of Israel for the murders that his ancestor Jehu committed at Jezreel. I am going to put an end to Jehu's dynasty. 5 And in Jezreel Valley I will at that time destroy Israel's military power.”
6 Gomer had a second child—this time it was a daughter. The Lord said to Hosea, “Name her ‘Unloved,’ because I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. 7 But to the people of Judah I will show love. I, the Lord their God, will save them, but I will not do it by war—with swords or bows and arrows or with horses and horsemen.”
8 After Gomer had weaned her daughter, she became pregnant again and had another son. 9 The Lord said to Hosea, “Name him ‘Not-My-People,’ because the people of Israel are not my people, and I am not their God.”
Israel Is to Be Restored
10 The people of Israel will become like the sand of the sea, more than can be counted or measured. Now God says to them, “You are not my people,” but the day is coming when he will say to them, “You are the children of the living God!” 11 The people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited. They will choose for themselves a single leader, and once again they will grow and prosper in their land. Yes, the day of Jezreel will be a great day!