2
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, 1"Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have 2children of whoredom, for 3the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD."
3
So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
4
And the LORD said to him, "Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while 4I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and 5I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5
And on that day 6I will break the bow of Israel 7in the Valley of Jezreel."
6
She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, 8"Call her name No Mercy, for 9I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.
7
But 10I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I 11will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen."
8
When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son.
9
And the LORD said, 12"Call his name Not My People, for 13you are not my people, and I am not your God."
10
Yet 14the number of the children of Israel shall be 15like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. 16And 17in the place where it was said to them, 18"You are not my people," it shall be said to them, 19"Children of 20the living God."
11
And 21the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and 22they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.