¹The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.[#Isa 1:1; Mic 1:1; #Am 1:1]

Hosea’s Wife and Children

²When the Lord first spoke by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: “Go, take for yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry, departing from the Lord .”[#Dt 31:16; Hos 3:1]

³So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim as a wife. She conceived, and bore him a son.

⁴The Lord said to him: “Call his name Jezreel, for in a little while, I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and will bring to an end the kingdom of the house of Israel.[#1:4 That is, May God make fertile .; #2Ki 10:7–8, 10–11]

⁵On that day, I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”[#Jos 17:16; Jdg 6:33]

⁶Then Gomer conceived again, and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea: “Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer have mercy upon the house of Israel but will utterly sweep them away.[#1:6 That is, Not pitied .; #2Ki 17:6; Hos 2:4, 23; 1Pe 2:10]

⁷But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by battle, or by horses, or by horsemen.”[#2Ki 19:35; #Zec 4:6]

⁸When Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.

⁹Then the Lord said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.”[#1:9 That is, Not My people .; #Hos 2:23; 1Pe 2:10]

¹⁰Yet the number of the Israelites will be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not My people,” there it will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.”[#Ge 13:16]

¹¹Then will the Judahites and the Israelites be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.[#Isa 11:12–13; #Hos 3:5]