1. The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2. The beginning of the word of the Lord with Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land shall give itself over to whoredom by departing from the Lord.
3. So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, who conceived and bore him a son.
4. And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.