<p class="poetry">Ephraim has attached himself to idols;p> <p class="poetry">Do not go near him!p>

<p class="poetry">I spelled out my law for him in great detail,p> <p class="poetry">but they regard it as something totally unknown<n id="1" /> to them!p>

So Hosea married<n id="1" /> Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. Then she conceived and gave birth to a son for him.

<p class="poetry">I will deal with the people and priests together:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will punish them both for their ways,p> <p class="poetry">and I will repay them for their deeds.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">They have gone up to Assyria,p> <p class="poetry">like a wild donkey that wanders off.p> <p class="poetry">Ephraim has hired prostitutes as lovers.<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Although Ephraim has built many altars for sin offerings,p> <p class="poetry">these have become altars for sinning!p>

<p class="poetry">My God will reject them,p> <p class="poetry">for they have not obeyed him;p> <p class="poetry">so they will be fugitives among the nations.p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> also has a covenant lawsuit<n id="1" /> against Judah;p> <p class="poetry">he will punish Jacob according to his waysp> <p class="poetry">and repay him according to his deeds.p>

<p class="poetry">But Ephraim bitterly<n id="1" /> provoked him to anger;p> <p class="poetry">so he will hold him accountable for the blood he has shed,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">his Lord<n id="3" /> will repay him for the contempt he has shown.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">His young shoots will grow;p> <p class="poetry">his splendor will be like an olive tree,p> <p class="poetry">his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.p>

<p class="poetry">They consult their wooden idols,p> <p class="poetry">and their diviner&#8217;s staff answers with an oracle.p> <p class="poetry">The wind of prostitution blows them astray;p> <p class="poetry">they commit spiritual adultery<n id="1" /> against their God.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">They sow the wind,p> <p class="poetry">and so they will reap the whirlwind!p> <p class="poetry">The stalk does not have any standing grain;p> <p class="poetry">it will not produce any flour.p> <p class="poetry">Even if it were to yield grain,p> <p class="poetry">foreigners would swallow it all up.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Israel was a fertile vinep> <p class="poetry">that yielded fruit.p> <p class="poetry">As his fruit multiplied,p> <p class="poetry">he multiplied altars to Baal.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">As his land prospered,p> <p class="poetry">they adorned the fertility pillars.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain;p> <p class="poetry">I myself put a fine yoke<n id="1" />on her neck.p> <p class="poetry">I will harness Ephraim.p> <p class="poetry">Let Judah plow!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Let Jacob break up<n id="3" /> the unplowed ground for himself!p>

<p class="poetry">He struggled<n id="1" /> with an angel and prevailed;p> <p class="poetry">he wept and begged for his favor.p> <p class="poetry">He found God<n id="2" /> at Bethel,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and there he spoke with him!<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The labor pains of a woman will overtake him,p> <p class="poetry">but the baby will lack wisdom;p> <p class="poetry">when the time arrives,p> <p class="poetry">he will not come out of the womb!p>

<p class="bodytext">She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> said to him, &#8220;Name her &#8216;No Pity&#8217; (Lo-Ruhamah) because I will no longer have pity<n id="2" /> on the nation<n id="3" /> of Israel. For<n id="4" /> I will certainly not forgive<n id="5" /> their guilt.<n id="6" />

<p class="poetry">They will not pour out drink offerings of wine to the <sc>Lordsc>;p> <p class="poetry">they will not please him with their sacrifices.p> <p class="poetry">Their sacrifices will be like bread eaten while in mourning;p> <p class="poetry">all those who eat them will make themselves ritually unclean.p> <p class="poetry">For their bread will be only to satisfy their appetite;p> <p class="poetry">it will not come into the temple of the <sc>Lordsc>.p>