1At that time, you will say to your fellow-Israeli men, “You are God’s people,” and you will say to your fellow-Israeli women, “You are ones whom God loves.”
2Yahweh also said to me, “I want you to accuse the Israeli people.
3If they do not do that,
4I will not pity the people,
5Their parents are like prostitutes [MET]: they have been unfaithful to me,
6So it will be as though [MET] I am blocking their road with thornbushes,
7They will run to their idols/gods that they think love them,
8But they do not realize that I, Yahweh, am the one who gave them grain and wine and olive oil;
9Therefore I will return and take my grain and grapes from them when they are ripe.
10I will show those false gods/idols that what my people are doing is disgusting [MET],
11I will cause their religious celebrations to cease,
12I will destroy all their grapevines and fig trees,
13I will punish my people for all the times that they burned incense to honor the idols of Baal.
14But listen! Some day I will persuade my people to worship me again;
15I will give their vineyards back to them,
16At that time,
17I will not allow them to speak [MTY] the names of Baal;
18At that time it will be as though I will make an agreement
19I will cause them to be as though they are [MET] my bride forever.
20I will not abandon them,
21At that time, when they request me to do things for them,
22and grain will grow, and the vineyards and the olive trees will grow in Jezreel Valley.
23At that time, I will take care of the Israeli people