1The Word of the LORD that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

2The beginning of the Word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms, for the land has utterly committed great whoredoms, departing from the LORD." 3So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, who conceived and bore him a son. 4And the LORD said to him, "Call his name Jezreel, for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease. 5And it shall be, in that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel."

6And she conceived again and bore a daughter. And God said to him, "Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel. But I will utterly take them away. 7But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen."

8And when she had weaned Lo- Ruhamah she conceived and bore a son. 9And He said, "Call his name Lo- Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God.

10Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. And it shall be in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there it shall be said to them, 'You are the sons of the living God. '

11Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and shall set over themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel."