In the womb he attacked his brother; in his manly vigor he struggled with God.

Therefore, I will soon fence her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.

“At that time, I will willingly respond,” declares the Lord. “I will respond to the sky, and the sky will respond to the ground;

then the ground will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil; and they will respond to ‘God Plants’ (Jezreel)!

When she had weaned ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah) she conceived again and gave birth to another son.

I will commit myself to you in faithfulness; then you will acknowledge the Lord.”

So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. Then she conceived and gave birth to a son for him.

At that time, I will destroy the military power of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.”

Soon I will expose her lewd nakedness in front of her lovers, and no one will be able to rescue her from me!

For I will remove the names of the Baal idols from your lips, so that you will never again utter their names!”

They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the Lord by pursuing other gods.

Although they bring their flocks and herds to seek the favor of the Lord, They will not find him – he has withdrawn himself from them!

They have committed treason against the Lord, because they bore illegitimate children. Soon the new moon festival will devour them and their fields.

At the celebration of their king, his princes become inflamed with wine; they conspire with evildoers.

The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and due to a prophet Israel was preserved alive.

When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and begged its great king for help. But he will not be able to heal you! He cannot cure your wound!

Therefore, I will take back my grain during the harvest time and my new wine when it ripens; I will take away my wool and my flax which I had provided in order to clothe her.

Then I will plant her as my own in the land. I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah). I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’ And he will say, ‘You are my God!’”

Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the Lord their God and their Davidic king. Then they will submit to the Lord in fear and receive his blessings in the future.

So let us acknowledge him! Let us seek to acknowledge the Lord! He will come to our rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn, as certainly as the winter rain comes, as certainly as the spring rain that waters the land.”