Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

1Tell youre brethren, that they are my people: and youre sisteren, that they haue optayned mercy.

2As for youre mother, ye shal chyde with her, and reproue her: for she is not my wife, nether am I hir husbode: vnlesse she put awaye hir whordome out of my sight, and hir aduoutry from hir brestes.

3Yf no, I shal strype her naked, & set her, euen as she came in to ye worlde: Yee I shal laye hir waist, and make her like a wildernesse, and slaye her for thyrste.

4I shal haue no pite also vpon hir children, for they be the children of fornicacion.

5Their mother hath broken hir wedlocke, and she that bare them, is come to cofucion. For she sayde: I wil go after my louers, that geue me my water and my bred, my woll & my flax, my oyle and my drynke.

6But I will hedge hir waye with thornes, and stoppe it, that she shal not fynde hir fotestoppes:

7and though she runne after hir louers, yet shall she not get them: she shal seke them, but not fynde them. Then shal she saye: well, I will go turne agayne to my first husbonde, for at yt tyme was I better at ease, then now:

8But this wolde she not knowe, where as I yet gaue her corne, wyne, oyle, syluer and golde, which she hath hanged vpon Baal.

9Wherfore now will I go take my corne & wyne agayne in their season, and fet agayne my woll and my flax, which I gaue her, to couer hir shame.

10And now will I dyscouer hir foolishnesse, euen in the sight of hir louers, and no man shal delyuer her out of my hondes.

11Morouer, I wil take awaye all hir myrth, hir holy dayes, hir newmoones, hir Sabbathes and all hir solempne feastes:

12I will destroye hir vynyardes and fyge trees, though she saieth: lo, here are my rewardes, that my louers haue geuen me. I wil make it a wodde, and the wylde beestes shall eate it vp:

13I will punysh her also for the dayes of Baal, wherin she censed him, deckynge him with hir earynges and cheynes: when she folowed hir louers, and forgat me, saieth the LORDE.

God’s Mercy to Israel

14Wherfore beholde, I wil call her againe, bringe her in to a wildernes, and speake frendly vnto her:

15there wil I geue her hir vynyardes agayne, yee and the valley of Achor also, to shewe hir hope & comforte. Then shal she synge there as in the tyme of hir youth, & like as in the daye when she came out of the londe of Egipte.

16Then (saieth the LORDE) she shal saye vnto me: O my housbande, & shal call me nomore Baal:

17for I wil take awaye those names of Baal from hir mouth, yee she shal neuer remembre their names eny more.

18Then will I make a couenaunt with them, with the wylde beastes, with the foules of the ayre, & with euerythinge that crepeth vpon the earth. As for bowe, swerde and batel, I will destroye soch out of the londe, & wil make them to slepe safely.

19Thus wil I mary the vnto myne owne self for euermore: yee euen to my self wil I mary the, in rightuousnesse, in equyte, in louynge kyndnesse and mercy.

20In faith also will I mary the vnto my self, & thou shalt knowe the LORDE.

21At the same tyme wil I shewe my self frendly and gracious vnto ye heauens, saieth the LORDE: & the heauens shal helpe the earth,

22and the earth shal helpe the corne, wyne and oyle, and they shal helpe Iesrael.

23I wil sowe them vpo earth, for a sede to myne owne self, & wil haue mercy vpon her, yt was without mercy. And to the which were not my people, I wil saye: thou art my people. And he shal saye: thou art my God.