¹ A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Hosea, son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel:

² The commencement of Jehovah's speaking by Hosea. And Jehovah saith unto Hosea, `Go, take to thee a woman of whoredoms, and children of whoredoms, for utterly Go a-whoring doth the land from after Jehovah.'

³ And he goeth and taketh Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceiveth and beareth to him a son;

⁴ and Jehovah saith unto him, `Call his name Jezreel, for yet a little, and I have charged the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and have caused to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel;

⁵ and it hath come to pass in that day that I have broken the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel.'

⁶ And she conceiveth again, and beareth a daughter, and He saith to him, `Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I add no more to pity the house of Israel, for I do utterly take them away;

⁷ and the house of Judah I pity, and have saved them by Jehovah their God, and do not save them by bow, and by sword, and by battle, by horses, and by horsemen.'

⁸ And she weaneth Lo-Ruhamah, and conceiveth, and beareth a son;

⁹ and He saith, `Call his name Lo-Ammi, for ye [are] not My people, and I am not for you;

¹⁰ and the number of the sons of Israel hath been as the sand of the sea, that is not measured nor numbered, and it hath come to pass in the place where it is said to them, Ye [are] not My people, it is said to them, Sons of the Living God;

¹¹ and gathered have been the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel together, and they have appointed to themselves one head, and have gone up from the land, for great [is] the day of Jezreel.

¹ Having put aside, then, all evil, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings,

² as new-born babes the word's pure milk desire ye, that in it ye may grow,

³ if so be ye did taste that the Lord [is] gracious,

⁴ to whom coming -- a living stone -- by men, indeed, having been disapproved of, but with God choice, precious,

⁵ and ye yourselves, as living stones, are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶ Wherefore, also, it is contained in the Writing: `Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, choice, precious, and he who is believing on him may not be put to shame;'

⁷ to you, then, who are believing [is] the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner,

⁸ and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence -- who are stumbling at the word, being unbelieving, -- to which also they were set;

⁹ and ye [are] a choice race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light;

¹⁰ who [were] once not a people, and [are] now the people of God; who had not found kindness, and now have found kindness.

¹¹ Beloved, I call upon [you], as strangers and sojourners, to keep from the fleshly desires, that war against the soul,

¹² having your behaviour among the nations right, that in that which they speak against you as evil-doers, of the good works having beheld, they may glorify God in a day of inspection.

¹³ Be subject, then, to every human creation, because of the Lord, whether to a king, as the highest,

¹⁴ whether to governors, as to those sent through him, for punishment, indeed, of evil-doers, and a praise of those doing good;

¹⁵ because, so is the will of God, doing good, to put to silence the ignorance of the foolish men;

¹⁶ as free, and not having the freedom as the cloak of the evil, but as servants of God;

¹⁷ to all give ye honour; the brotherhood love ye; God fear ye; the king honour ye.

¹⁸ The domestics! be subjecting yourselves in all fear to the masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the cross;

¹⁹ for this [is] gracious, if because of conscience toward God any one doth endure sorrows, suffering unrighteously;

²⁰ for what renown [is it], if sinning and being buffeted, ye do endure [it]? but if, doing good and suffering [for it], ye do endure, this [is] gracious with God,

²¹ for to this ye were called, because Christ also did suffer for you, leaving to you an example, that ye may follow his steps,

²² who did not commit sin, nor was guile found in his mouth,

²³ who being reviled -- was not reviling again, suffering -- was not threatening, and was committing himself to Him who is judging righteously,

²⁴ who our sins himself did bear in his body, upon the tree, that to the sins having died, to the righteousness we may live; by whose stripes ye were healed,

²⁵ for ye were as sheep going astray, but ye turned back now to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.