Hosea Chapter 2

3 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, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them,

4 Ye are the sons of the living God.

5 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 from the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

6 Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

7 Contend with your mother, contend; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

8 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.

9 Yea, upon her children will I have no mercy; for they are children of whoredom;

10 for their mother hath played the harlot; she that conceived them hath done shamefully; for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

11 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, that she shall not find her paths.

12 And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

13 For she did not know that I gave her the grain, and the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied unto her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

14 Therefore will I take back my grain in the time thereof, and my new wine in the season thereof, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.

15 And now will I uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of my hand.

16 I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.

17 And I will lay waste her vines and her fig-trees, whereof she hath said, These are my hire that my lovers have given me; and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

18 And I will visit upon her the days of the Baalim, unto which she burned incense, when she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith Jehovah.

19 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.

20 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she shall make answer there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

21 And it shall be at that day, saith Jehovah, that thou shalt call me Ishi, and shalt call me no more Baali.

22 For I will take away the names of the Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be mentioned by their name.

23 And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and will make them to lie down safely.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Say unto your brethren Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.

2 Plead with your mother, plead; for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: and let her put away her whoredoms from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3 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 as a dry land, and slay her with thirst.

4 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they are the children of whoredoms.

5 For their mother hath played the harlot; she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give [me] my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.

6 Therefore behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns; and I will fence [her] in with a wall, that she shall not find her paths.

7 And she shall pursue after her lovers, and shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, and shall not find them: and she shall say, I will go and return to my first husband, for then was it better with me than now.

8 And she did not know that I had given her the corn and the new wine and the oil, and had multiplied to her the silver and gold, which they employed for Baal.

9 Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my new wine in its season, and will withdraw my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.

10 And now will I discover her impiety in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of my hand.

11 And I will cause all her mirth to cease: her feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths! and all her solemnities.

12 And I will make desolate her vine and her fig-tree, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards which my lovers have given me; and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them.

13 And I will visit upon her the days of the Baals, wherein she burned incense to them, and decked herself with her rings and jewels, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith Jehovah.

14 Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart.

15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16 And it shall be in that day, saith Jehovah, [that] thou shalt call me, My husband, and shalt call me no more, Baali;

17 for I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

18 And I will make a covenant for them in that day with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will break bow and sword and battle out of the land; and I will make them to lie down safely.

19 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; and I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies;

20 and I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know Jehovah.

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith Jehovah, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth;

22 and the earth shall hear the corn, and the new wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jizreel.

23 And I will sow her unto me in the land; and I will have mercy upon Lo-ruhamah; and I will say to Lo-ammi, Thou art my people; and they shall say, MyGod.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 Yet the number of the children of Israel was as the sand of the sea, which shall not be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, [that] in the place where it was said to them, Ye are not my people, even they shall be called the sons of the living God.

2 And the children of Juda shall be gathered, and the children of Israel together, and shall appoint themselves one head, and shall come up out of the land: for great [shall be] the day of Jezrael.

3 Say to your brother, My people, and to your sister, Pitied.

4 Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband: and I will remove her fornication out of my presence, and her adultery from between her breasts:

5 that I may strip her naked, and make her again as she was at the day of her birth: and I will make her desolate, and make her as a dry land, and will kill her with thirst.

6 And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they are children of fornication.

7 And their mother went a-whoring: she that bore them disgraced [them]: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, and my garments, and my linen clothes, my oil and all my necessaries.

8 Therefore, behold, I hedge up her way with thorns, and will stop the ways, and she shall not find her path.

9 And she shall follow after her lovers, and shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: and she shall say, I will go, and return to my former husband; for it was better with me than now.

10 And she knew not that I gave her her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied silver to her: but she made silver and gold [images] for Baal.

11 Therefore I will return, and take away my corn in its season, and my wine in its time; and I will take away my raiment and my linen clothes, so that she shall not cover her nakedness.

12 And now I will expose her uncleanness before her lovers, and no one shall by any means deliver her out of my hand.

13 And I will take away all her gladness, her feasts, and her festivals at the new moon, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.

14 And I will utterly destroy her vines, and her fig-trees, all things of which she said, These are my hire which my lovers have given me: and I will make them a testimony, and the wild beasts of the field, and the birds of the sky, and the reptiles of the earth shall devour them.

15 And I will recompense on her the days of Baalim, wherein she sacrificed to them, and put on her ear-rings, and her necklaces, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith the Lord.

16 Therefore, behold, I [will] cause her to err, and will make her as desolate, and will speak comfortably to her.

17 And I will give her her possessions from thence, and the valley of Achor to open her understanding: and she shall be afflicted there according to the days of her infancy, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, [that] she shall call me, My husband, and shall no longer call me Baalim.

19 And I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and their names shall be remembered no more at all.

20 And I will make for them in that day a covenant with the wild beasts of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the reptiles of the earth: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle from off the earth, and will cause thee to dwell safely.

21 And I will betroth thee to myself for ever; yea, I will betroth thee to myself in righteousness, and in judgment, and in mercy, and in tender compassions;

22 and I will betroth thee to myself in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.

23 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, I will hearken to the heaven, and it shall hearken to the earth;

24 and the earth shall hearken to the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hearken to Jezrael.

25 And I will sow her to me on the earth; and will love her that was not loved, and will say to that which was not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art the Lord my God.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Dicite fratribus vestris: Populus meus: et sorori vestræ, Misericordiam consecuta.

2 Iudicate matrem vestram, iudicate: quoniam ipsa non uxor mea, et ego non vir eius. auferat fornicationes suas a facie sua, et adulteria sua de medio uberum suorum.

3 Ne forte expoliem eam nudam, et statuam eam secundum diem nativitatis suæ: et ponam eam quasi solitudinem, et statuam eam velut terram inviam, et interficiam eam siti.

4 Et filiorum illius non miserebor: quoniam filii fornicationum sunt.

5 quia fornicata est mater eorum, confusa est quæ concepit eos: quia dixit: Vadam post amatores meos, qui dant panes mihi, et aquas meas, lanam meam, et linum meum, oleum meum, et potum meum.

6 Propter hoc ecce ego sepiam viam tuam spinis, et sepiam eam maceria, et semitas suas non inveniet.

7 Et sequetur amatores suos, et non apprehendet eos: et quæret eos, et non inveniet, et dicet: Vadam, et revertar ad virum meum priorem: quia bene mihi erat tunc magis quam nunc.

8 Et hæc nescivit, quia ego dedi ei frumentum, et vinum, et oleum, et argentum multiplicavi ei, et aurum, quæ fecerunt Baal.

9 Idcirco convertar, et sumam frumentum meum in tempore suo, et vinum meum in tempore suo, et liberabo lanam meam et linum meum, quæ operiebant ignominiam eius.

10 Et nunc revelabo stultitiam eius in oculis amatorum eius: et vir non eruet eam de manu mea:

11 et cessare faciam omne gaudium eius, sollemnitatem eius, neomeniam eius, sabbatum eius, et omnia festa tempora eius.

12 Et corrumpam vineam eius, et ficum eius: de quibus dixit: Mercedes hæ, meæ sunt, quas dederunt mihi amatores mei: et ponam eam in saltum, et comedet eam bestia agri.

13 Et visitabo super eam dies Baalim, quibus accendebat incensum, et ornabatur inaure sua, et monili suo, et ibat post amatores suos, et mei obliviscebatur, dicit Dominus.

14 Propter hoc, ecce ego lactabo eam, et ducam eam in solitudinem: et loquar ad cor eius.

15 Et dabo ei vinitores eius ex eodem loco, et Vallem Achor ad aperiendam spem: et canet ibi iuxta dies iuventutis suæ, et iuxta dies ascensionis suæ de Terra Ægypti.

16 Et erit in die illa, ait Dominus: vocabit me: Vir meus: et non vocabit me ultra, Baali.

17 Et auferam nomina Baalim de ore eius, et non recordabitur ultra nominis eorum.

18 Et percutiam cum eis fœdus in die illa, cum bestia agri, et cum volucre cæli, et cum reptili terræ: et arcum, et gladium, et bellum conteram de terra: et dormire eos faciam fiducialiter.

19 Et sponsabo te mihi in sempiternum: et sponsabo te mihi in iustitia, et iudicio, et in misericordia, et in miserationibus.

20 Et sponsabo te mihi in fide: et scies quia ego Dominus.

21 Et erit in die illa: Exaudiam, dicit Dominus, exaudiam cælos, et illi exaudient terram.

22 Et terra exaudiet triticum, et vinum, et oleum: et hæc exaudient Iezrahel.

23 Et seminabo eam mihi in terra, et miserebor eius, quæ fuit Absque misericordia.

24 Et dicam non populo meo: Populus meus es tu: et ipse dicet: Deus meus es tu.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 “Say to your brothers, ‘My people!’ and to your sisters, ‘My loved one!’

2 Contend with your mother! Contend, for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband; and let her put away her prostitution from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3 lest I strip her naked, and make her bare as in the day that she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a dry land, and kill her with thirst.

4 Indeed, on her children I will have no mercy, for they are children of unfaithfulness.

5 For their mother has played the prostitute. She who conceived them has done shamefully; for she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’

6 Therefore behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, that she can’t find her way.

7 She will follow after her lovers, but she won’t overtake them; and she will seek them, but won’t find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with me than now.’

8 For she didn’t know that I gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied to her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

9 Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my new wine in its season, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.

10 Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver her out of my hand.

11 I will also cause all her celebrations to cease: her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.

12 I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, about which she has said, ‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me,’ and I will make them a forest, and the animals of the field shall eat them.

13 I will visit on her the days of the Baals, to which she burned incense when she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and went after her lovers and forgot me,” says the LORD.

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

15 I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will respond there as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

16 It will be in that day,” says the LORD, “that you will call me ‘my husband,’ and no longer call me ‘my master.’

17 For I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, and they will no longer be mentioned by name.

18 In that day I will make a covenant for them with the animals of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the creeping things of the ground. I will break the bow, the sword, and the battle out of the land, and will make them lie down safely.

19 I will betroth you to me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and in compassion.

20 I will even betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD.

21 It will happen in that day, that I will respond,” says the LORD. “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth;

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

23 I will sow her to me in the earth; and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; and I will tell those who were not my people, ‘You are my people;’ and they will say, ‘You are My God!’”

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 `Say ye to your brethren--Ammi, And to your sisters--Ruhamah.

2 Plead ye with your mother--plead, (For she <FI>is<Fi> not My wife, and I <FI>am<Fi> not her husband,) And she turneth her whoredoms from before her, And her adulteries from between her breasts,

3 Lest I strip her naked. And have set her up as <FI>in<Fi> the day of her birth, And have made her as a wilderness, And have set her as a dry land, And have put her to death with thirst.

4 And her sons I do not pity, For sons of whoredoms <FI>are<Fi> they,

5 For gone a-whoring hath their mother, Acted shamefully hath their conceiver, For she hath said, I go after my lovers, Those giving my bread and my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.

6 Therefore, lo, I am hedging up thy way with thorns, And I have made for her a wall, And her paths she doth not find.

7 And she hath pursued her lovers, And she doth not overtake them, And hath sought them, and doth not find, And she hath said: I go, and I turn back unto My first husband, For--better to me then than now.

8 And she knew not that I had given to her, The corn, and the new wine, and the oil. Yea, silver I did multiply to her, And the gold they prepared for Baal.

9 Therefore do I turn back, And I have taken My corn in its season, And My new wine in its appointed time, And I have taken away My wool and My flax, covering her nakedness.

10 And now do I reveal her dishonour before the eyes of her lovers, And none doth deliver her out of My hand.

11 And I have caused to cease all her joy, Her festival, her new moon, and her sabbath, Even all her appointed times,

12 And made desolate her vine and her fig-tree, Of which she said, A gift they <FI>are<Fi> to me, That my lovers have given to me, And I have made them for a forest, And consumed them hath a beast of the field.

13 And I have charged on her the days of the Baalim, To whom she maketh perfume, And putteth on her ring and her ornament, And goeth after her lovers, And Me forgat--an affirmation of Jehovah.

14 Therefore, lo, I am enticing her, And have caused her to go to the wilderness, And I have spoken unto her heart,

15 And given to her her vineyards from thence, And the valley of Achor for an opening of hope, And she hath responded there as in the days of her youth, And as in the day of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.

16 And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah, Thou dost call Me--My husband, And dost not call Me any more--My lord.

17 And I have turned aside the names of the lords from her mouth, And they are not remembered any more by their name.

18 And I have made to them a covenant in that day, with the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the creeping thing of the ground, And bow, and sword, and war I break from off the land, And have caused them to lie down confidently.

19 And I have betrothed thee to Me to the age, And betrothed thee to Me in righteousness, And in judgment, and kindness, and mercies,

20 And betrothed thee to Me in faithfulness, And thou hast known Jehovah.

21 And it hath come to pass in that day, I answer--an affirmation of Jehovah, I answer the heavens, and they answer the earth.

22 And the earth doth answer the corn, And the new wine, and the oil, And they answer Jezreel.

23 And I have sowed her to Me in the land, And I have pitied Lo-Ruhamah, And I have said to Lo-Ammi, My people thou <FI>art<Fi> , and it saith, My God!'

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).