Hosea 2

The Restoration of Israel

1:10 (2:1)¹ However,² in the future the number of the people³ of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which can be neither measured nor numbered. Although⁴ it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it will be said to them, “You are⁵ children⁶ of the living God!” 1:11 Then the people⁷ of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves one leader,⁸ and will flourish in the land.⁹ Certainly,¹⁰ the day of Jezreel will be great! 2:1 Then you will call¹¹ your¹² brother, “My People” (Ammi)! You will call your sister, “Pity” (Ruhamah)!

Idolatrous Israel Will Be Punished Like a Prostitute

2:2 Plead earnestly¹³ with your¹⁴ mother

(for¹⁵ she is not my wife, and I am not her husband),

so that¹⁶ she might put an end to her adulterous lifestyle,¹⁷

and turn away from her sexually immoral behavior.¹⁸

2:3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked,

and expose her like she was when she was born.

I will turn her land into a wilderness

and make her country a parched land,

so that I might kill¹⁹ her with thirst.

2:4 I will have no pity on her children,²⁰

because they are children conceived in adultery.²¹

2:5 For their mother has committed adultery;

she who conceived them has acted shamefully.

For she said, “I will seek out²² my lovers;²³

they are the ones who give me my bread and my water,

my wool, my flax, my olive oil, and my wine.²⁴

The Lord’s Discipline Will Bring Israel Back

2:6 Therefore, I will soon²⁵ fence her in²⁶ with thorns;

I will wall her in²⁷ so that²⁸ she cannot find her way.²⁹

2:7 Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch³⁰ them;

she will seek them, but she will not find them.³¹

Then she will say,

“I will go back³² to my husband,³³

because I was better off then than I am now.”³⁴

Agricultural Fertility Withdrawn from Israel

2:8 Yet³⁵ until now³⁶ she has refused to acknowledge³⁷ that I³⁸ was the one

who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;

and that it was I who³⁹ lavished on her the silver and gold –

which they⁴⁰ used in worshiping Baal!⁴¹

2:9 Therefore, I will take back⁴² my grain during the harvest time⁴³

and my new wine when it ripens;⁴⁴

I will take away my wool and my flax

which I had provided⁴⁵ in order to clothe her.⁴⁶

2:10 Soon⁴⁷ I will expose her lewd nakedness⁴⁸ in front of her lovers,

and no one will be able to rescue her from me!⁴⁹

2:11 I will put an end to all her celebration:

her annual religious festivals,

monthly new moon celebrations,

and weekly Sabbath festivities –

all her appointed festivals.

2:12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees,

about which she said, “These are my wages for prostitution⁵⁰

that my lovers gave to me!”

I will turn her cultivated vines and fig trees⁵¹ into an uncultivated thicket,

so that wild animals⁵² will devour them.

2:13 “I will punish her for the festival days

when she burned incense to the Baal idols;⁵³

she adorned herself with earrings and jewelry,

and went after her lovers,

but⁵⁴ she forgot me!”⁵⁵ says the Lord.

Future Repentance and Restoration of Israel

2:14 However, in the future I will allure her;⁵⁶

I will lead⁵⁷ her back into the wilderness,

and speak tenderly to her.

2:15 From there I will give back her vineyards to her,

and turn the “Valley of Trouble”⁵⁸ into an “Opportunity⁵⁹ for Hope.”

There she will sing as she did when she was young,⁶⁰

when⁶¹ she came up from the land of Egypt.

2:16 “At that time,”⁶² declares the Lord,

“you will call,⁶³ ‘My husband’;⁶⁴

you will never again call me,⁶⁵ ‘My master.’⁶⁶

2:17 For⁶⁷ I will remove the names of the Baal idols⁶⁸ from your lips,⁶⁹

so that you will never again utter their names!”⁷⁰

New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel

2:18 “At that time⁷¹ I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals,

the birds of the air, and the creatures that crawl on the ground.

I will abolish⁷² the warrior’s bow and sword

– that is, every weapon of warfare⁷³ – from the land,

and I will allow them to live securely.”⁷⁴

2:19 I will commit myself to you⁷⁵ forever;

I will commit myself to you in⁷⁶ righteousness and justice,

in steadfast love and tender compassion.

2:20 I will commit myself to you in faithfulness;

then⁷⁷ you will acknowledge⁷⁸ the Lord.”⁷⁹

Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation

2:21 “At that time,⁸⁰ I will willingly respond,”⁸¹ declares the Lord.

“I will respond to the sky,

and the sky⁸² will respond to the ground;

2:22 then the ground will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;

and they will respond to ‘God Plants’ (Jezreel)!⁸³

2:23 Then I will plant her as my own⁸⁴ in the land.

I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah).

I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’

And he⁸⁵ will say, ‘You are⁸⁶ my God!’”

Next Chapter