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Hosea 3-4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Hosea 3-4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Further Assurances of God’s Redeeming Love
3 The Lord said to me again, “Go, love a woman who has a lover and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”(A) 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer of barley and a measure of wine.[a](B) 3 And I said to her, “You must remain as mine for many days; you shall not prostitute yourself; you shall not have intercourse with a man, nor I with you.” 4 For the Israelites shall remain many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim.(C) 5 Afterward the Israelites shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; they shall come in awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.(D)
God Accuses Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel,
for the Lord has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or loyalty
and no knowledge of God in the land.(E)
2 Swearing, lying, and murder,
and stealing and adultery break out;
bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
and all who live in it languish;
together with the wild animals
and the birds of the air,
even the fish of the sea are perishing.(F)
4 Yet let no one contend,
and let none accuse,
for with you is my contention, O priest.[b](G)
5 You shall stumble by day;
the prophet also shall stumble with you by night,
and I will destroy your mother.(H)
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge!
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me;
and since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.(I)
7 The more they increased,
the more they sinned against me;
they changed[c] their glory into shame.(J)
8 They feed on the sin of my people;
they are greedy for their iniquity.
9 And it shall be like people, like priest;
I will punish them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.(K)
10 They shall eat but not be satisfied;
they shall prostitute themselves but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord
to devote themselves to(L) 11 prostitution.
The Idolatry of Israel
Wine and new wine
take away the understanding.(M)
12 My people consult a piece of wood,
and their divining rod gives them oracles.
For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray,
and they have prostituted themselves, forsaking their God.(N)
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
and make offerings upon the hills,
under oak, poplar, and terebinth
because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters prostitute themselves,
and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.(O)
14 I will not punish your daughters when they prostitute themselves
nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery,
for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
and sacrifice with female attendants;
thus a people without understanding comes to ruin.(P)
15 Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel,
do not let Judah become guilty.
Do not enter into Gilgal
or go up to Beth-aven,
and do not swear, “As the Lord lives.”(Q)
16 Like a stubborn heifer,
Israel is stubborn;
can the Lord now feed them
like a lamb in a broad pasture?(R)
Hosea 3-4
New International Version
Hosea 3-4
New International Version
Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife
3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.(A) Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.(B)”
2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels[a] of silver and about a homer and a lethek[b] of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”
4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince,(C) without sacrifice(D) or sacred stones,(E) without ephod(F) or household gods.(G) 5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek(H) the Lord their God and David their king.(I) They will come trembling(J) to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.(K)
The Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge(L) to bring
against you who live in the land:(M)
“There is no faithfulness,(N) no love,
no acknowledgment(O) of God in the land.(P)
2 There is only cursing,[c] lying(Q) and murder,(R)
stealing(S) and adultery;(T)
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.(U)
3 Because of this the land dries up,(V)
and all who live in it waste away;(W)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.(X)
4 “But let no one bring a charge,
let no one accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest.(Y)
5 You stumble(Z) day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother(AA)—
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(AB)
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(AC) of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
7 The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their glorious God[d](AD) for something disgraceful.(AE)
8 They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.(AF)
9 And it will be: Like people, like priests.(AG)
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.(AH)
10 “They will eat but not have enough;(AI)
they will engage in prostitution(AJ) but not flourish,
because they have deserted(AK) the Lord
to give themselves 11 to prostitution;(AL)
old wine(AM) and new wine
take away their understanding.(AN)
12 My people consult a wooden idol,(AO)
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.(AP)
A spirit of prostitution(AQ) leads them astray;(AR)
they are unfaithful(AS) to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,(AT) poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.(AU)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution(AV)
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.(AW)
14 “I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots(AX)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(AY)—
a people without understanding(AZ) will come to ruin!(BA)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(BB)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[e](BC)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(BD)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(BE)
like a stubborn heifer.(BF)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(BG) in a meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18 Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19 A whirlwind(BH) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(BI)
Footnotes
- Hosea 3:2 That is, about 6 ounces or about 170 grams
- Hosea 3:2 A homer and a lethek possibly weighed about 430 pounds or about 195 kilograms.
- Hosea 4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on
- Hosea 4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory
- Hosea 4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.