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Their mother has acted like a prostitute. She should be ashamed of what she did. She said, ‘I will go to my lovers,[a] who give me food and water, wool and linen, wine and olive oil.’

“So I, the Lord, will block Israel’s road with thorns, and I will build a wall. Then she will not be able to find her path. She will run after her lovers, but she will not be able to catch up with them. She will look for her lovers, but she will not be able to find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband. Life was better for me when I was with him. Life was better then than it is now.’

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 2:5 lovers This means Israel’s false gods. Also in verses 7, 10, 13.

Their mother has been unfaithful
    and has conceived them in disgrace.
She said, ‘I will go after my lovers,(A)
    who give me my food and my water,
    my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’(B)
Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
    I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.(C)
She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
    she will look for them but not find them.(D)
Then she will say,
    ‘I will go back to my husband(E) as at first,(F)
    for then I was better off(G) than now.’

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