1 “ Say to your brothers, ‘My people,’ and to your sisters, ‘My loved one.’ God’s People Who Are Not Faithful

Say to your brothers, “ Ammi,” and to your sisters, “ Ruhamah.”

2 “ Speak with strong words to your mother. Speak with strong words, for she is not My wife and I am not her husband. Tell her to stop selling the use of her body and giving herself to other men.

“Contend with your mother, contend, For she is not my wife, and I am not her husband; And let her put away her harlotry from her face And her adultery from between her breasts,

3 I f she does not, I will put her to shame by taking off her clothes and show her as when she was born. I will make her like a desert, like a hot and dry land, and will kill her with thirst.

Or I will strip her naked And expose her as on the day when she was born. I will also make her like a wilderness, Make her like desert land And slay her with thirst.

4 I will have no loving-pity on her children, for they are children of her sinful ways.

“Also, I will have no compassion on her children, Because they are children of harlotry.

5 T heir mother has not been faithful. She who gave birth to them has acted in shame. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers. They give me my bread and water, my wool and linen, my oil and my drink.’

“For their mother has played the harlot; She who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘ I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’

6 S o I will put thorn bushes in her way. I will build a wall so that she cannot find her way.

“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.

7 S he will go after her lovers but will not catch up with them. She will look for them but will not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband. For it was better for me then than now.’

“She will pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; And she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, ‘ I will go back to my first husband, For it was better for me then than now!’

8 “ She does not know that it was I Who gave her the grain, the new wine, the oil, and all the silver and gold, which they used for the false god Baal.

“For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which they used for Baal.

9 S o I will take back My grain during the gathering time, and My new wine during its time. And I will take away My wool and My linen, which were given to cover her.

“Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest time And My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool and My flax Given to cover her nakedness.

10 S o I will take away the covering of her shame in the eyes of her lovers. And no one will take her out of My hand.

“And then I will uncover her lewdness In the sight of her lovers, And no one will rescue her out of My hand.

11 I will put an end to all her fun, her special suppers, her new moons, her Days of Rest, and all her special times for gathering together.

“I will also put an end to all her gaiety, Her feasts, her new moons, her sabbaths And all her festal assemblies.

12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers. I will make many trees grow wild among them, and the animals of the field will eat them.

“I will destroy her vines and fig trees, Of which she said, ‘These are my wages Which my lovers have given me.’ And I will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field will devour them.

13 I will punish her for the days she gave gifts in worship to the false gods of Baal. I will punish her for the times she forgot Me, and put on rings and other beautiful objects and went after her lovers” says the Lord. God’s Loving-Kindness for His People

“I will punish her for the days of the Baals When she used to offer sacrifices to them And adorn herself with her earrings and jewelry, And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,” declares the Lord. Restoration of Israel

14 “ So I will lead her into the desert and speak words of comfort to her.

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her.

15 I will give her grape-fields there, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And she will sing there as she did when she was young, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt.

“Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

16 I n that day” says the Lord, “you will call Me, ‘My Husband.’ And you will no longer call Me, ‘My Baal.’

“It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “That you will call Me Ishi And will no longer call Me Baali.

17 F or I will take the names of the Baals from her mouth. The names of these false gods will never be spoken again.

“For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, So that they will be mentioned by their names no more.

18 I n that day I will make an agreement for them with the wild animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the things which move upon the ground. I will put an end to the bow, the sword, and war in all the land. And I will let My people lie down in peace and be safe.

“In that day I will also make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky And the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety.

19 I will promise to make you Mine forever. Yes, I will take you as My bride in what is right and good and fair, and in loving-kindness and in loving-pity.

“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion,

20 I will keep My promise and make you Mine. Then you will know the Lord.

And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.

21 “ In that day” says the Lord, “I will give an answer to the heavens, and they will give an answer to the earth.

“It will come about in that day that I will respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth,

22 T he earth will give an answer to the grain, the new wine, and the oil. And they will give an answer to Jezreel.

And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, And they will respond to Jezreel.

23 I will plant her for Myself in the land. Those who were not loved, I will call, ‘My loved ones.’ Those who were not My people, I will call, ‘My people.’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”

“I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, ‘ You are my God!’”