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

Say to your brothers, “ 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, and I am not her husband; And let her put away her harlotry from her face And her adultery 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.

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

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

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 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 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 her way with thorns, And I will build a wall against her so that she cannot 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.’

“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 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 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 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 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 N ow I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver 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 also cause all her celebrations to cease: her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.

“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 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.

“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 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.

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

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

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.

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

“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 away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they will no longer be mentioned by name.

“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 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.

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

“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 even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know Yahweh.

And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will 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;

“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 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 will respond to the grain, to the new wine and to the oil, And they will 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!’”

“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!’”