The Hebrew Prophets

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.

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

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

And made desolate her vine and her fig-tree, Of which she said, A gift they are 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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 art , and it saith, My God!'

And Jehovah saith unto me: `Again, go, love a woman, loved of a friend, and an adulteress, like the loved of Jehovah, the sons of Israel, and they are turning unto other gods, and are lovers of grape-cakes.'

And I buy her to me for fifteen silverlings, and a homer and a letech of barley;

and I say unto her, `Many days thou dost remain for Me, thou dost not go a-whoring, nor become any one's; and I also am for thee.'

For many days remain do the sons of Israel without a king, and there is no prince, and there is no sacrifice, and there is no standing pillar, and there is no ephod and teraphim.

Afterwards turned back have the sons of Israel, and sought Jehovah their God, and David their king, and have hastened unto Jehovah, and unto His goodness, in the latter end of the days.

`Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife is to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor knowledge of God, in the land,

Swearing, and lying, and murdering, And stealing, and committing adultery--have increased, And blood against blood hath touched.

Therefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea--they are removed.

Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And thy people are as those striving with a priest.

And thou hast stumbled in the day, And stumbled hath also a prophet with thee in the night, And I have cut off thy mother.