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word of the that came unto Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

When the spoke at first with Hosea, the  said unto Hosea: Go, take unto thee a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry; for the land doth commit great harlotry, departing from the .' So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; and she conceived, and bore him a son. And the said unto him: 'Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.' And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And He said unto him: 'Call her name Lo-ruhamah; for I will no more have compassion upon the house of Israel, that I should in any wise pardon them. But I will have compassion upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.' Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son. And He said: 'Call his name Lo-ammi; for ye are not My people, and I will not be yours.'

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, instead of that which was said unto them: 'Ye are not My people', it shall be said unto them: 'Ye are the children of the living God.' And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall go up out of the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Say ye unto your brethren: ' Ammi'; and to your sisters: ' Ruhamah.'


 * Plead with your mother, plead;
 * For she is not My wife, neither am I her husband;
 * And let her put away her harlotries from her face,
 * And her adulteries from between her breasts;
 * 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.
 * And I will not have compassion upon her children;
 * For they are children of harlotry.
 * For their mother hath played the harlot,
 * She that conceived them hath done shamefully;
 * For she said: 'I will go after my lovers,