5 Their mother has acted like a prostitute. Their mother should be ashamed of the things she did. She said, ‘I will go to my lovers. {\cf2\super [14]} My lovers give me food and water. They give me wool and linen. They give me wine and olive oil.’
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.
5 For their mother has played the harlot; she who conceived them has done shamefully, for she said, I will go after my lovers that give me my food and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my refreshing drinks.
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.
5 Their mother has played the prostitute; she who conceived them has behaved shamefully. She said, “I will seek out my lovers; they give me my bread and my water, my wool and my linen cloth, my oil and my drink.”
5 For their mother has been fornicating; she who conceived them has been brought to ruin. 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.'
5 For their mother hath committed fornication, she that conceived them is covered with shame: for she said: I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread, and my water, my wool, and my flax, my oil, and my drink.
\{God says,\} “Look at Jerusalem. She was a city that trusted and followed me. What caused her to become like a prostitute? {\cf2\super [12]} She does not follow me now. Jerusalem should be filled with fairness. People living in Jerusalem should live the way God wants. But now, murderers live there.
The Lord says,\par “\{People of Israel, you say that I divorced\par your mother, Jerusalem.\}\par But where is the legal paper\par that proves I divorced her?\par My children, did I owe money to someone?\par Did I sell you to pay a debt?\par No! You were sold\par because of the bad things you did.\par Your mother (Jerusalem) was sent away\par because of the bad things you did.\par
“People of Judah, you have many idols—there are as many idols as there are towns in Judah. You have built many altars for worshiping that disgusting god Baal {\cf2\super [96]} —there are as many altars as there are streets in Jerusalem.
You might ask yourself,\par “Why has this bad thing happened to me?”\par Those things happened because of your many sins.\par Because of your sins,\par your skirt was torn off\par and your shoes were taken away.\par They did this to embarrass you.\par
“Judah, a long time ago you threw off\par your yoke.\par You broke the ropes\par \{that I used to control you\}.\par You said to me,\par ‘I will not serve you!’\par You were like a prostitute\par on every high hill\par and under every green tree. {\cf2\super [11]} \par
Listen to this warning, Jerusalem.\par If you don’t listen\par then I will turn my back on you.\par I will make your land an empty desert.\par No person will be able to live there.”\par
I will let those lovers have you. They will destroy your mounds. They will burn your places of worship. They will tear off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry. They will leave you bare and naked \{like you were when I found you\}.
People only throw that wood into the fire. Some sticks begin to burn on the ends, the middles turn black from the fire, \{but the sticks don’t burn completely\}. Can you make anything from that burnt stick?
This was the Lord’s first message to Hosea. The Lord said, “Go, marry a prostitute {\cf2\super [1]} that has had children as a result of her prostitution. Why? Because the people in this country have acted like prostitutes—they have been unfaithful to the Lord.”
“Argue with your mother. {\cf2\super [11]} Argue! Because she is not my wife! I am not her husband! Tell her to stop being like a prostitute. {\cf2\super [12]} Tell her to take away her lovers {\cf2\super [13]} from between her breasts.
“She (Israel) didn’t know that I (the Lord) was the One who gave her grain, wine, and oil. I kept giving her more and more silver and gold. But the Israelites used this silver and gold to make statues of Baal. {\cf2\super [15]}
Then the Lord said to me again, “Gomer {\cf2\super [24]} has many lovers. But you must continue loving her. Why? Because that is like the Lord. The Lord continues loving the people of Israel. But they continue to worship other gods. And they love to eat raisin cakes.” {\cf2\super [25]}
At the time I found Israel, they were like fresh grapes in the desert. They were like the first figs on a fig tree at the beginning of the season. But then they came to Baal-Peor. {\cf2\super [92]} And they changed—and I had to cut them off \{(destroy them) like rotten fruit. {\cf2\super [93]} They became like the terrible things \{(false gods) that they loved.
At that time,\par the beautiful young men and women\par will become weak from thirst.\par Those people made promises\par by the sin of Samaria, {\cf2\super [105]} \par They said,\par ‘Dan, {\cf2\super [106]} as surely as your god lives,\par \{we promise\} …’\par And they said,\par ‘As surely as the god of Beersheba {\cf2\super [107]} lives,\par \{we promise\} …’\par But those people will fall,\par and they will never get up again.”\par
The rulers of the Philistine people came together to celebrate. They were going to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. [122] They said, “Our god helped us defeat Samson our enemy.”