1 “ Say to your brothers, ‘My people!’ and to your sisters, ‘My loved one!’

¶ Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

2 C ontend with your mother! Contend, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her prostitution from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

Contend with your mother, contend: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore remove her whoredoms from her face and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3 L est I strip her naked, and make her bare as in the day that she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and kill her with thirst.

lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day that she was born and make her as a wilderness and set her like a dry land and slay her with thirst.

4 I ndeed, on her children I will have no mercy; for they are children of unfaithfulness;

Neither will I have mercy upon her sons, for they are the sons of whoredoms.

5 F or their mother has played the prostitute. She who conceived them has done 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.’

For their mother has played the harlot; she that conceived them has been shamed; for she said, I will go after my lovers that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.

6 T herefore behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, that she can’t find her way.

¶ Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns and make a wall that she shall not find her paths.

7 S he will follow after her lovers, but she won’t overtake them; and she will seek them, but won’t find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.’

And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them; then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with me than now.

8 F or she did not know that I gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied to her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

For she did not recognize that I gave her the wheat and the wine and the oil and multiplied unto them the silver and the gold, with which they made Baal.

9 T herefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my new wine in its season, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.

Therefore I will return and take away my wheat in the time thereof and my wine in the season thereof and will recover my wool and my flax that I had given to cover her nakedness.

10 N ow I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver her out of my hand.

And now I will uncover her folly in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall deliver her out of my hand.

11 I will also cause all her celebrations to cease: her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.

I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast, her new moon, and her sabbath, and all her festivities.

12 I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, about which she has said, ‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me; and I will make them a forest,’ and the animals of the field shall eat them.

And I will cause her vine and her fig tree to be cut down, of which she has said, These are my wages that my lovers have given me; and I will reduce them to a thicket, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

13 I will visit on her the days of the Baals, to which she burned incense, when she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgot me,” says Yahweh.

And I will visit upon her the times of the Baals, unto whom she burned incense, and she adorned herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, oblivious of me, saith the LORD.

14 “ Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.

¶ Therefore, behold, I will induce her and bring her into the wilderness and speak unto her heart.

15 I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will respond there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

And I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she shall sing there as in the days of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16 I t will be in that day,” says Yahweh, “that you will call me ‘my husband,’ and no longer call me ‘my master.’

And it shall be in that time, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me My Husband, and shalt no longer call me Baali.

17 F or I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they will no longer be mentioned by name.

For I will take away the names of Baals out of her mouth, and they shall no longer be remembered by their name.

18 I n that day I will make a covenant for them with the animals of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the creeping things of the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and the battle out of the land, and will make them lie down safely.

And in that time I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of the heaven and with the serpents of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle of the earth and will cause them to sleep safely.

19 I will betroth you to me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and in compassion.

And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment and in mercy.

20 I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know Yahweh.

I will even betroth thee unto me in faith: and thou shalt know the LORD.

21 I t will happen in that day, I will respond,” says Yahweh, “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth;

And it shall come to pass in that day, I will respond, saith the LORD, I will respond to the heavens, and they shall respond to the earth;

22 a nd the earth will respond to the grain, and the new wine, and the oil; and they will respond to Jezreel.

and the earth shall respond to the wheat and the wine and the oil; and they shall respond to Jezreel.

23 I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘My God!’”

And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon Loruhamah, and I will say to Loammi, Thou art my people; and he shall say, Thou art my God.