Every post in Hosea, in order. Tap a post for the whole conversation, or the book icon for the verses.
Hosea son of Beeri. The LORD's word came to me when Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, and Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings in Judah.
This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel.
The first thing the LORD told me: go and marry a prostitute, and have children with her. Because the whole land has been unfaithful to him, going after other gods. So I married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim.
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.” So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
It's a boy. The LORD told me his name: Jezreel. Jezreel, where Jehu shed so much blood. The LORD is going to hold Jehu's dynasty to account for it, and bring the kingdom of Israel to an end.
So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
A girl. Her name is Lo-ruhamah. It means “no compassion”. The LORD says he won't show Israel compassion any more.
Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them.
Replying to @hosea.son.of.beeri
Sorry, “no compassion”? For a baby girl?
Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them.
Another boy, after she weaned Lo-ruhamah. Lo-ammi. “Not my people.” Because you're not my people, the LORD says, and I'm not your God.
After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.
Replying to @hosea.son.of.beeri
Three kids. Three messages. That poor family, honestly.
And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.
Israel ran off after other lovers and forgot him. And what does the LORD say he'll do? Win her back. Take her out into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. Turn the Valley of Trouble into a door of hope.
I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, when she adorned herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers. But Me she forgot,” declares the LORD. “Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly. There I will give back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
Replying to @hosea.son.of.beeri
You'll call me “my husband”, he says, not “my master”. I'll marry you for ever. In what's right and fair, in love and compassion. In faithfulness. And you will know the LORD.
In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’ So I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving devotion and compassion. And I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.”
The LORD told me: go and love your wife again. She's with another man and she's been unfaithful. Love her the way the LORD loves Israel, even though they keep turning to other gods. So I bought her back. Fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley.
Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.” So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.
Replying to @hosea.son.of.beeri
Told her: you're going to live with me for a long time. No more other men. And I'll be the same with you.
Then I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”
The LORD has a case against this land. No truth. No faithful love. Nobody who knows God. Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, adultery. My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
Come on, let's go back to the LORD. He's torn us, but he'll heal us. He's wounded us, but he'll bandage us up. After two days he'll bring us back to life. On the third day he'll raise us up. As sure as the sun comes up, he'll come to us like the spring rain.
Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence. So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.
Replying to @theisraelites
And the LORD says: what am I going to do with you? Your love is like the morning mist. Like the dew that's gone by breakfast.
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.
What the LORD wants: mercy, not sacrifice. Knowing him, more than burnt offerings.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Israel mixes in with the nations. Israel is a flatbread nobody turned over, burnt on one side and raw on the other. Foreigners are eating up his strength and he hasn't noticed. Grey hairs, and he hasn't noticed.
Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is an unturned cake. Foreigners consume his strength, but he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he does not know.
Replying to @hosea.son.of.beeri
And a silly, senseless dove. Calling to Egypt one minute, flying off to Assyria the next.
So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
Our God, we know you!
Israel cries out to Me, “O our God, we know You!”
Replying to @theisraelites
You set up kings without him. You made a calf out of silver and gold. A craftsman made it. It isn't God. You sow the wind, and you'll reap the whirlwind.
They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction. He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria. For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.
Not being funny, but the prophet's a fool. The man with the “spirit” is out of his mind.
The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility.
Replying to @ephraim.local
You call the prophet a fool because your sin is so great and you hate so much.
The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility.
Sow what's right and you'll harvest faithful love. Break up your unploughed ground. It's time to seek the LORD, until he comes and rains down what's right on you.
Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
What the LORD says about Israel: when Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called, the further they went. I was the one who taught them to walk, holding them by the arms. They never realised it was me who healed them. I led them with ropes of kindness, of love. I bent down and fed them.
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. But the more I called Israel, the farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and burned incense to carved images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms, but they never realized that it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent down to feed them.
The LORD says: how can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? My heart is turned over inside me. All my compassion is stirred. I won't act on my burning anger. I am God, not a man. The Holy One among you.
How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred! I will not execute the full fury of My anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again. For I am God and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath.
Jacob, our ancestor. In the womb he grabbed his brother's heel. As a grown man he wrestled with God. Fought with the angel and won. Wept and begged for his blessing. So come back to your God. Hold on to love and justice, and keep waiting for him.
Jacob@jacobHe asked my name. Jacob. He said: not any more. Israel, because you have struggled with God and with people, and you have won.In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God. Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel and spoke with Him there— But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and always wait on your God.
The LORD says: I'll ransom them from the grave. I'll redeem them from death. Death, where are your plagues? Grave, where is your sting?
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
Come back, Israel, to the LORD your God. Take words with you. Say to him: take away all our sin and receive us kindly. Assyria won't save us. We won't ride out on horses. We'll never again call the things we made with our own hands our gods. In you the fatherless find compassion.
Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity. Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips. Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
Replying to @hosea.son.of.beeri
And the LORD says: I'll heal their unfaithfulness. I'll love them freely. I'll be like the dew to Israel. He'll blossom like a lily and put down roots like the cedars of Lebanon.
I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
If you're wise, you'll understand this. The LORD's ways are right. People who do right walk in them. Rebels trip over them.
Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the rebellious stumble in them.