Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; {and} I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I {am} merciful, saith the LORD, {and} I will not keep {anger} for ever.

Who {is} a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth {in} mercy.

The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, {departing} from the LORD.

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I {am} God, and {there is} none else.

{Is} Ephraim my dear son? {is he} a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. {are...: Heb. sound}

Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked {him} with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. {brought...: or, impoverished, or, weakened}

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? {how} shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? {how} shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

For thou {art} an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that {are} upon the face of the earth.

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of {his} mercy;

Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

For the time past of {our} life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

Surely {as} a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. {husband: Heb. friend}

They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. {They say: Heb. Saying}

Behold, as the eyes of servants {look} unto the hand of their masters, {and} as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes {wait} upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. {wine...: or, in bowls of wine} {affliction: Heb. breach}

Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou {art} a gracious and merciful God.

And he dealt among all the people, {even} among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece {of flesh}, and a flagon {of wine}. So all the people departed every one to his house.

And they lay {themselves} down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned {in} the house of their god. {the condemned: or, such as have fined, or, mulcted}

And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. {strange...: Heb. gods of strangers} {grieved: Heb. shortened}

And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode {the grapes}, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. {merry: or, songs}

And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet. {presence: Heb. face}

Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This {is} thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;

At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.

In the day of our king the princes have made {him} sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. {bottles...: or, heat through wine}

Neither be ye idolaters, as {were} some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out {his} hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as {other} people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor. {upon: or, in, etc}

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, {departing} from the LORD.

Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I {am} sick of love. {comfort...: Heb. straw me with apples}

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. {drink: Heb. drinks}

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day {that} I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: {although...: or, should I have continued an husband unto them?}

Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, {even} Jerusalem:

{But as} a wife that committeth adultery, {which} taketh strangers instead of her husband!

That they have committed adultery, and blood {is} in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through {the fire}, to devour {them}.

Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I {am} the Lord GOD.

Surely {as} a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. {husband: Heb. friend}

His mouth {is} most sweet: yea, he {is} altogether lovely. This {is} my beloved, and this {is} my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. {mouth: Heb. palate}

And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, {and} they rebel against me.

And Ephraim {is as} an heifer {that is} taught, {and} loveth to tread out {the corn}; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, {and} Jacob shall break his clods. {her...: Heb. the beauty of her neck}

I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets. {ministry: Heb. hand}

That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. {wine...: or, in bowls of wine} {affliction: Heb. breach}

What hath my beloved to do in mine house, {seeing} she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. {What...: Heb. What is to my beloved in my house} {when...: or, when thy evil is}