Hosea

Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

1“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’

2Rebuke your mother,rebuke her,for she is not My wife,and I am not her husband.Let her remove the adultery from her faceand the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.

3Otherwise, I will strip her nakedand expose her like the day of her birth.I will make her like a desertand turn her into a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst.

4I will have no compassion on her children,because they are the children of adultery.

5For their mother has played the harlotand has conceived them in disgrace.For she thought,‘I will go after my lovers,who give me bread and water,wool and linen, oil and drink.’

6Therefore, behold,I will hedge up her pathwith thorns;I will enclose her with a wall,so she cannot find her way.

7She will pursue her lovers but not catch them;she will seek them but not find them.Then she will say,‘I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off than now.’

8For she does not acknowledgethat it was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil,who lavished on her silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal.

9Therefore I will take back My grain in its timeand My new wine in its season;I will take away My wool and linen,which were given to cover her nakedness.

10And then I will expose her lewdnessin the sight of her lovers,and no one will deliver herout of My hands.

11I will put an end to all her exultation:her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths— all her appointed feasts.

12I will destroy her vines and fig trees,which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers.So I will make them into a thicket,and the beasts of the field will devour them.

13I will punish her for the days of the Baalswhen 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.

God’s Mercy to Israel

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

15There I will give back her vineyardsand make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope.There she will respond as she didin the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

16In that day,”declares the LORD,“you will call Me ‘my Husband,’and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’

17For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals;no longer will their names be invoked.

18On that day I will make a covenant for themwith the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground.And I will abolish bow and swordand battle in the land, and will make them lie down in safety.

19So I will betroth you to Me forever;I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving devotionand compassion.

20And I will betroth you in faithfulness,and you will know the LORD.”

21“On that day I will respond—”declares the LORD—“I will respond to the heavens,and they will respond to the earth.

22And the earth will respond to the grain,to the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.

23And I will sow her as My own in the land,and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’‘You are My people,’and they will say,‘You are my God.’”

1你們要稱你們的弟兄為阿米，稱你們的姊妹為路哈瑪。

不貞的歌篾－不忠的以色列

2你們要與你們的母親大大爭辯； 因為她不是我的妻子， 我也不是她的丈夫。 叫她除掉臉上的淫像 和胸間的淫態，

3免得我剝她的衣服， 使她赤體，與才生的時候一樣， 使她如曠野，如乾旱之地， 因渴而死。

4我必不憐憫她的兒女， 因為他們是從淫亂而生的。

5他們的母親行了淫亂， 懷他們的母做了可羞恥的事， 因為她說：我要隨從所愛的； 我的餅、水、羊毛、麻、油、酒 都是他們給的。

6因此，我必用荊棘堵塞她的道， 築牆擋住她， 使她找不着路。

7她必追隨所愛的，卻追不上； 她必尋找他們，卻尋不見， 便說：我要歸回前夫， 因我那時的光景比如今還好。

8她不知道是我給她五穀、新酒，和油， 又加增她的金銀； 她卻以此供奉巴力。

9因此到了收割的日子， 出酒的時候， 我必將我的五穀、新酒收回， 也必將她應當遮體的羊毛和麻奪回來。

10如今我必在她所愛的眼前顯露她的醜態； 必無人能救她脫離我的手。

11我也必使她的宴樂、節期、月朔、安息日， 並她的一切大會都止息了。

12我也必毀壞她的葡萄樹和無花果樹， 就是她說「這是我所愛的給我為賞賜」的。 我必使這些樹變為荒林， 為田野的走獸所吃。

13我必追討她素日給諸巴力燒香的罪； 那時她佩帶耳環和別樣妝飾， 隨從她所愛的，卻忘記我。 這是耶和華說的。

上帝對他子民的愛

14後來我必勸導她，領她到曠野， 對她說安慰的話。

15她從那裏出來，我必賜她葡萄園， 又賜她亞割谷作為指望的門。 她必在那裏應聲， 與幼年的日子一樣， 與從埃及地上來的時候相同。

16耶和華說：「那日你必稱呼我伊施，不再稱呼我巴力；

17因為我必從我民的口中除掉諸巴力的名號，這名號不再提起。

18當那日，我必為我的民，與田野的走獸和空中的飛鳥，並地上的昆蟲立約；又必在國中折斷弓刀，止息爭戰，使他們安然躺臥。

19我必聘你永遠歸我為妻，以仁義、公平、慈愛、憐憫聘你歸我；

20也以誠實聘你歸我，你就必認識我－耶和華。

21耶和華說：那日我必應允， 我必應允天，天必應允地；

22地必應允五穀、新酒，和油， 這些必應允耶斯列民。

23我必將她種在這地。 素不蒙憐憫的，我必憐憫； 本非我民的，我必對他說： 你是我的民； 他必說：你是我的上帝。」