Hosea

Uses the prophet's marriage as a symbol for Israel's unfaithfulness and God's faithful love.

Chapter 2

1 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

*Tell your siblings, "Ammi," and to your sisters, "Ruhamah."

2 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

*Ask your mom to stop her unfaithful actions because she's not with my partner and I'm not with her. She should remove those actions from her life.

3 Lest I strip her naked, and set her as in the day that she was born, and make her as a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

*So that I don't leave her without clothes, and return her to how she was when she was first born, making her like a desert with no water, and killing her by thirst.

4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children of whoredoms.

*I won't show kindness to her children; they are the result of immorality.

5 For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

*Their mother was unfaithful; she who gave birth to them acted improperly. She said she would follow her lovers, the ones who provide her with food, water, wool, flax, oil, and drink.

6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

*So, I will put obstacles in your path with prickly plants, and build a barrier so she cannot find her way.

7 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

*She'll chase her past loves but won't catch them, searching but finding nothing. Then she'll say, "I'll go back to my first husband, things were better then."

8 For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.

*She didn't realize I provided her with food, drinks, and wealth, increasing her silver and gold. She used them to prepare offerings for Baal.

9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.

*So, I will come back and take away my grain during its time, and my wine during its season, and I will get back my wool and flax that I gave to cover her when she was naked.

10 And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand.

*Now, I will show her wrongdoing in front of her lovers, and no one can save her from my grasp.

11 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.

*I will stop all her happy times, including her special days, monthly celebrations, rest days, and all her important festivals.

12 And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

*I will destroy her special plants and fig trees, which she said were gifts from her lovers. I will turn them into a wild forest, and wild animals will eat them.

13 And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD.

*And I will make her experience the time of the Baal gods when she worshipped them. She adorned herself with her earrings and jewelry, pursued her lovers, and forgot about me, says the Lord.

14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

*So, I will gently attract her and guide her to a desert area, where I will comfort her.

15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

*I will give her back her vineyards and the Valley of Achor as a symbol of hope. She will sing there, just like in her younger days and when she first left Egypt.

16 And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.

*On that day, says the Lord, you will call me Ishi, and you will not call me Baali anymore.

17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

*I will remove the names of false gods from her words, and they won't be mentioned again.

18 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

*On that day, I will create a promise for them involving animals, birds, and creatures on the ground. I will stop using bows, swords, and fights on Earth, making everyone feel safe and secure.

19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

*I will be forever committed to you, in fairness, justice, kindness, and compassion.

20 I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

*I will lovingly commit myself to you forever, and you will come to truly understand God.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

*In that day, says the Lord, I will listen, and the heavens will listen too, as the earth listens as well.

22 And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.

*The Earth will hear the growing grains, the grapes for wine, and the olives for oil, and they all will recognize Jezreel.

23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

*I will plant her in the ground and show kindness to those who didn't receive it before. I will tell those who weren't mine, "Now you are my people," and they will respond, "You are our God."

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