Hosea 2

Great(i) 1 Tell youre brethren, that they are my people: and youre systerne, that they haue optayned mercy. 2 As for youre mother, ye shall chyde wt her, and reproue her for she is not my wyfe, nether am I her husbande, onlesse she put awaye her whordome out of my syght, & her aduoutry from her brestes. 3 If no I shall stryppe her naked, & sett her euen as she came into the worlde: yee, I shall laye her waste, and make her lyke a wyldernesse, & slaye her for thyrste. 4 I shall haue no pite also vpon her children for they be the chyldren of fornicacyon. 5 Their mother hath broken her wedlocke, and she that bare them is come to confusion. For she sayd: I will go after my louers, that geue me my water and my bread, my woll & flaxe, my oyle and my dryncke. 6 But I will hedge her waye with thornes, and stoppe it, that she shall not fynde her fotesteppes: 7 and though she runne after her louers, yet shall she not get them: she shall seke them, but not fynde them. Then shall she saye: well, I wyll go turne againe to my fyrst housbande, for at that tyme was I better at ease, then nowe 8 But this wolde she not knowe, where as I yet gaue her corne, wyne, oyle, syluer & gold whych she hath hanged vpon Baal. 9 Wherfore, nowe will I go take my corne and wyne agayne in their season, and fet agayne my woll & my flax, whych I gaue her, to couer her shame. 10 And nowe will I discouer her foolyshnesse, euen in the syght of her louers, & no man shall delyuer her out of my handes. 11 Moreouer, I will take awaye all her myrth her holy dayes, her newmoones; her Sabbathes and all her solempne feastes: 12 I wyll destroye her vyneyardes & fygg trees, though she sayeth: lo, heare are my rewardes, that my louers haue geuen me. I wyll make it a wodde, and wylde beestes shall eate it vp. 13 I wyll punysh her also for the dayes of Baal wherin she censed hym, deckynge hym wyth her earynges & cheynes: when she folowed her louers, and forgat me, sayeth the Lorde. 14 Wherfore beholde, I wyll call her agayne bringe her into a wyldernes, & speake frendly vnto her: 15 there will I geue her her vyniardes agayne, yee & the valley of Achor also to shewe her hope and comforte. Then shall she synge there as in the tyme of her youth, and lyke as in the daye when she came out of the lande of Egypte. 16 Then (sayeth the Lorde she shall saye vnto me) O my housbande, & shall call me nomore Baal: 17 for I wyll take awaye those names of Baal from her mouth, yee, she shall neuer remembre their names eny more. 18 Then wyll I make a couenaunt with them, with the wylde beastes, with the foules of the ayre, and wyth euery thynge that crepeth vpon the earth. As for bowe, swerde and battel, I will destroye soch out of the lande, & wyll make them to slepe safely. 19 Thus wyll I mary the vnto myne awne selfe for euermore: yee, euen to my selfe wyll I mary the, in ryghteousnesse, in equite, in louynge kyndnesse and mercy. 20 In fayth also wyll I mary the vnto my selfe, and thou shalt knowe the Lorde. 21 At the same tyme wyll I shewe my selfe frendly & gracyous vnto the heuens, sayeth the Lord: and the heauens shall helpe the earth 22 and the earth shall helpe the corne, wyne and oyle, & they shall helpe Iesrael. 23 I wyll sowe them vpon earth, for a sede to myne amne selfe, & wyll haue mercy vpon her, that was wythout mercy. And to them whych were not my people, I wyll saye: thou art my people and he shall saye: thou art my God.