Hosea 2

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

Speak kindly to your brothers, call them 'My People'; and to your sisters, say 'Beloved'.

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;

Confront your mother, confront her, for she is not my wife, nor am I her husband. She must put away her unfaithfulness from her face and her adulteries from between her breasts.

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.

Otherwise I will strip her naked and leave her as bare as the day she was born. I will make her like a barren desert, turn her into a parched land, and let her die of thirst.

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

I will show no compassion for her offspring; they are born of unfaithfulness.

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 has been a prostitute; she who gave them life has acted shamefully. For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and water, my wool and linen, my oil and drink.'

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

So, watch out, I'll fill your path with obstacles and build a barrier, making it impossible for her to find her way.

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 those she loved, but never catch them. She'll search, but never find them. Then, she'll realize, she should return to her first love, as life was better then than it is now.

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 that I was the one who gave her grain, wine and oil, and poured out on her the silver and gold that they then used for Baal.

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 reclaim my grain at harvest time, my wine when it's ripe. I will take back my wool and linen, used to cover her bareness.

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 expose her wrongdoings to those who adore her, and no one can save her from my grasp.

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 bring an end to all her joy, her celebrations, her monthly rituals, her rest days, and all her grand ceremonies.

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 wipe out her vineyards and fig trees, those she claims as gifts from her admirers. I'll transform them into wilderness, and wild animals will feast on them.

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.

I will punish her for the days she worshipped false gods, burning incense to them. She adorned herself with earrings and jewelry and chased after her lovers, completely forgetting about me, says the Lord.

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

So, watch as I gently draw her in, leading her into the quiet solitude, and there, I will whisper words of comfort to her.

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 bless her with fruitful vineyards and transform her valley of troubles into a gateway of hope. She will rejoice and sing, just like she did in her younger days and when she was freed from Egypt.

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 special day, declares the LORD, you will lovingly call me "My Husband" instead of "My Master".

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 erase the memory of false gods from her lips; their names will be forgotten forever.

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 form a pact with all creatures on earth, from the beasts in the fields to the birds in the sky, and even the smallest critters on the ground. I will shatter all weapons and end all wars, ensuring everyone can rest in peace and safety.

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 make you mine forever, in fairness and justice, with love, and with compassion.

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

I promise to unite with you in unwavering loyalty, and you will truly experience the love of the LORD.

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;

On that day, God promises, He will listen. He will hear the cries of the heavens, and they in turn will hear the whispers of the earth.

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

The earth will sense the growth of corn, the richness of wine, and the smoothness of oil; and they will all respond to the call of Jezreel.

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 for myself in the land and show compassion to the one who had not been shown compassion. To those who were not my people, I will declare, "You are my people." And they will respond, "You are our God."