Hosea 2:14-23

The Voice

¹⁴    But once she has nothing, I’ll be able to get through to her.
        I’ll entice her and lead her out into the wilderness where we can be alone,
        and I’ll speak right to her heart and try to win her back.
¹⁵    And then I’ll give her back her vineyards;
        I’ll turn the valley of Achor, that “Valley of Trouble,”^[a]
        into a gateway of hope.

This is where Achan was judged for keeping forbidden spoils of war when Israel first entered into the land after the exodus.

In the wilderness of exile she’ll learn to respond to Me
the way she did when she was young, when I brought her out of Egypt.

¹⁶And I swear when that day comes, she’ll call Me “my husband” and never address Me again as “my master” as she did those other gods. ¹⁷She’ll never invoke the name of any other master again.

Everyone will forget that gods by that name ever existed. ¹⁸When that day comes, this is what I’ll do for My people: I’ll make a covenant for them with the wild animals and flying birds and crawling insects, and they’ll agree never to devour her crops again. I’ll smash all the bows and swords and weapons that could be used to invade their land, and they’ll live in security.

(to His reclaimed bride) ¹⁹I’m going to marry you, and this time it’ll be forever in righteousness and justice. Our covenant will reflect a loyal love and great mercy; ²⁰our marriage will be honest and truthful, and you’ll understand who I really am—the Eternal One.

²¹    And I swear that when that day comes
        I’ll answer the sky and prayers for rain,
        and the sky will give the land the water it’s asking for.
²²    And the land will give the grain and wine and oil the fertile soil they need to develop,
        and the crops will shout back to Me, “God sows!”^[b]
²³    I won’t just restore the agricultural abundance;
        I’ll sow into My beloved land and plant the people in the land and make them My own.
    To the one who has not been shown mercy,^[c]
        I’ll rename her Mercy.
    I’ll tell Not My People,^[d] “You are now My People!”
        and he’ll respond, “You’re my God!”^[e]