<t /><p class="poetry">Although you, O Israel, commit adultery,p> <p class="poetry">do not let Judah become guilty!p> <p class="poetry">Do not journey to Gilgal!p> <p class="poetry">Do not go up to Beth Aven!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Do not swear, &#8220;As surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives!&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God;p> <p class="poetry">because a spirit of idolatry<n id="1" /> controls their heart,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and they do not acknowledge the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">So let us acknowledge him!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Let us seek<n id="2" /> to acknowledge<n id="3" /> the <sc>Lordsc>!p> <p class="poetry">He will come to our rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn,p> <p class="poetry">as certainly as the winter rain comes,p> <p class="poetry">as certainly as the spring rain that waters the land.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">The arrogance of Israel testifies against him,p> <p class="poetry">yet they refuse to return to the <sc>Lordsc> their God!p> <p class="poetry">In spite of all this they refuse to seek him!p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Sound the alarm!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">An eagle<n id="2" /> looms over the temple of the <sc>Lordsc>!p> <p class="poetry">For they have broken their covenant with me,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and have rebelled against my law.p>

<p class="poetry">They offer up sacrificial gifts to me,p> <p class="poetry">and eat the meat,p> <p class="poetry">but the <sc>Lordsc> does not accept their sacrifices.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Soon he will remember their wrongdoing,p> <p class="poetry">he will punish their sins,p> <p class="poetry">and they will return to Egypt.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Very soon they will say, &#8220;We have no kingp> <p class="poetry">since we did not fear the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">But what can a king do for us anyway?&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Sow righteousness for yourselves,p> <p class="poetry">reap unfailing love.p> <p class="poetry">Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves,p> <p class="poetry">for it is time to seek the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">until he comes and showers deliverance<n id="1" /> on you.p>

<p class="poetry">Return to the <sc>Lordsc> and repent!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Say to him: &#8220;Completely<n id="2" /> forgive our iniquity;p> <p class="poetry">accept<n id="3" /> our penitential prayer,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Who is wise?p> <p class="poetry">Let him discern<n id="1" /> these things!p> <p class="poetry">Who is discerning?p> <p class="poetry">Let him understand them!p> <p class="poetry">For the ways of the <sc>Lordsc> are right;p> <p class="poetry">the godly walk in them,p> <p class="bodytext">but in them the rebellious stumble.p>

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">This is the word of the <sc>Lordsc> which was revealed to Hosea<n id="2" /> son of Beeri during the time when<n id="3" /> Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah ruled Judah,<n id="4" /> and during the time when Jeroboam son of Joash<n id="5" /> ruled Israel.<n id="6" />p>

Then the <sc>Lordsc> said to Hosea,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Name him &#8216;Jezreel,&#8217; because in a little while I will punish<n id="2" /> the dynasty<n id="3" /> of Jehu on account of the bloodshed<n id="4" /> in the valley of Jezreel,<n id="5" /> and I will put an end to the kingdom<n id="6" /> of Israel.<n id="7" />

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I will punish her for the festival daysp> <p class="poetry">when she burned incense to the Baal idols;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">she adorned herself with earrings and jewelry,p> <p class="poetry">and went after her lovers,p> <p class="poetry">but<n id="2" /> she forgot me!&#8221;<n id="3" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Hear the word of the <sc>Lordsc>, you Israelites!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> has a covenant lawsuit<n id="2" /> against the people of Israel.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land,p> <p class="poetry">nor do they acknowledge God.<n id="4" />p>

<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>

<t /><p class="poetry">Even though he flourishes like a reed plant,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">a scorching east wind will come,p> <p class="poetry">a wind from the <sc>Lordsc> rising up from the desert.p> <p class="poetry">As a result, his spring will dry up;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">his well will become dry.p> <p class="poetry">That wind<n id="3" /> will spoil all his delightful foodsp> <p class="poetry">in the containers in his storehouse.p>