Hosea 3-4

New King James Version

Israel Will Return to God

3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a ^(A)lover^[a] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.”

²So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. ³And I said to her, “You shall ^(B)stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

⁴For the children of Israel shall abide many days ^(C)without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ^(D)ephod or ^(E)teraphim. ⁵Afterward the children of Israel shall return and ^(F)seek the Lord their God and ^(G)David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the ^(H)latter days.

God’s Charge Against Israel

4 Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a ^(I)charge^[b] against the inhabitants of the land:

“There is no truth or mercy
Or ^(J)knowledge of God in the land.
²By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed ^[c]upon bloodshed.
³Therefore ^(K)the land will mourn;
And ^(L)everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

⁴“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those ^(M)who contend with the priest.
⁵Therefore you shall stumble ^(N)in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
⁶^(O)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
^(P)Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

⁷“The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
^(Q)I^[d] will change ^[e]their glory into shame.
⁸They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their ^[f]heart on their iniquity.
⁹And it shall be: ^(R)like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And ^[g]reward them for their deeds.
¹⁰For ^(S)they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.

The Idolatry of Israel

¹¹“Harlotry, wine, and new wine ^(T)enslave the heart.
¹²My people ask counsel from their ^(U)wooden idols,
And their ^[h]staff informs them.
For ^(V)the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.
¹³^(W)They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
^(X)Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.

¹⁴“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ^(Y)ritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.

¹⁵“Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
^(Z)Do not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to ^(AA)Beth^[i] Aven,
^(AB)Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—

¹⁶“For Israel ^(AC)is stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in ^[j]open country.

¹⁷“Ephraim is joined to idols,
^(AD)Let him alone.
¹⁸Their drink ^[k]is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
^(AE)Her ^[l]rulers ^[m]dearly love dishonor.
¹⁹^(AF)The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And ^(AG)they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.