Hosea 1:2-10

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

The Family of Hosea

² When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” ³ So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴ And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel;^[a] for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵ On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

⁶ She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah,^[b] for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. ⁷ But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.”

⁸ When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹ Then the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi,^[c] for you are not my people and I am not your God.”^[d]

The Restoration of Israel

^10 [e] Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.”