Israel’s Adultery Rebuked

1Say ye to your brethren, My people; and to your sisters, Being compassionated.

2Contend with your mother, contend ye, for she is not my wife, and I not her husband: for she shall put away her fornications from her face, and her adulteries from between her breasts;

3Lest I shall strip her naked, and I set her as the day of her birth, and I set her as a desert, and I set her as a land of dryness, and I slew her with thirst.

4And her sons I will not compassionate, for they are the sons of fornications.

5For their mother committed fornication: she conceiving them acted shamefully: for she said, I will go after those loving me giving me my bread and my water, my wool and my linen, mine oil and my drinks.

6Therefore, behold me hedging in thy way with thorns, and I walled a wall and she shall not find her beaten paths.

7And she pursued those loving her, and she shall not overtake them; and she sought them and she shall not find: and she said, I will go and turn back to my former husband, for it was well to me then more than now.

8And she knew not that I gave to her grain, and new wine, and new oil, and I multiplied silver to her, and gold they made for Baal.

9For this I will turn back and take away my grain in its time, and my new wine in its appointment, and I took away my wool and my linen to cover her nakedness.

10And now will I uncover her wickedness before the eyes of those loving her, and a man shall not deliver her from my hand.

11And I caused all her rejoicing to cease, her festival and her new moon, and her Sabbath and all her appointment.

12And I destroyed her vine and her fig tree, of which she said, They are wages to me which those loving me gave to me: and I set them for a forest, and the beasts of the field ate them.

13And I reviewed upon her the days of the Baals, which she will burn incense to them, and she will be decked with her earring and her necklace, and she will go after those loving her, and she forget me, says Jehovah.

God’s Mercy to Israel

14For this, behold, I entice her, and I caused her to go into the desert, and I spake to her heart.

15And I gave to her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she was humbled there as the days of her youth and as the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.

16And it was in that day, says Jehovah, thou shalt call me, My husband; and thou shalt no more call to me, My Lord.

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

18And I cut out for them a covenant in that day with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the earth: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the land, and I caused them to lie down confidently.

19And I betrothed thee to me forever; and I betrothed thee to me in justice and in judgment, and in kindness and in compassions.

20And I betrothed thee to me in faithfulness, and thou knewest Jehovah.

21And it was in that day, I will answer, says Jehovah, I will answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth;

22And the earth shall answer the grain and the new wine and the new oil; and they shall answer Jezreel.

23And I sowed her to me in the earth; and I compassionated her Not being compassionated; and I said to Not my people, Thou my people; and they will say, My God.