Then the Lord said to Hosea,“ Name him Jezreel. That’s because I will soon punish Jehu’s royal family. He killed many people at the city of Jezreel. So I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

耶和华对何西阿说：“给他起名叫耶斯列；因为再过片时，我必讨耶户家在耶斯列杀人流血的罪，也必使以色列家的国灭绝。

耶和华对何西阿说：“给他起名叫耶斯列；因为再过片时，我要惩罚耶户家在耶斯列流人血的罪，也必终结以色列家的王朝。

耶和华对何西阿说：“给他起名叫耶斯列；因为再过片时，我要惩罚耶户家在耶斯列流人血的罪，也必终结以色列家的王朝。

耶和华对何西阿说：“给他取名叫耶斯列，因为再过不久，我就要因耶户家在耶斯列的屠杀而惩罚他们，消灭以色列国。

耶和华就对何西阿说：“给他起名叫耶斯列；因为不久我就要惩罚耶户家在耶斯列流人血的罪，我要灭绝以色列家的国。

耶和華對何西阿說：「給他起名叫耶斯列；因為再過片時，我必討耶戶家在耶斯列殺人流血的罪，也必使以色列家的國滅絕。

耶和華對何西阿說：「給他起名叫耶斯列；因為再過片時，我要懲罰耶戶家在耶斯列流人血的罪，也必終結以色列家的王朝。

耶和華對何西阿說：「給他起名叫耶斯列；因為再過片時，我要懲罰耶戶家在耶斯列流人血的罪，也必終結以色列家的王朝。

耶和華對何西阿說：「給他取名叫耶斯列，因為再過不久，我就要因耶戶家在耶斯列的屠殺而懲罰他們，消滅以色列國。

耶和華就對何西阿說：“給他起名叫耶斯列；因為不久我就要懲罰耶戶家在耶斯列流人血的罪，我要滅絕以色列家的國。

永恆主對何西阿說：『給他起名叫耶斯列，因為再過片時、我必向耶戶家追討在耶斯列殺人流血的罪，也必使以色列家的國滅絕。

耶和華曰、名之耶斯列、蓋歷時無幾、我將於耶戶家、討耶斯列之血、絕以色列家之國、

耶和華曰、可命名耶斯烈、昔耶戶殺人於耶斯烈、我將報之於俄頃、使以色列族國祚不長、

主諭之曰、可稱其名曰耶斯烈、昔耶戶殺人流血於耶斯烈、我不久將罰其家、必滅以色列族之國、

Then the Lord said to Hosea,“ Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

And the Lord said to him,“ Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

And the Lord said,“ Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu’s dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel’s independence.

Then the LORD said to him: Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

And the Lord said to him,“ Name him Jezreel; for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Then the Lord said to him:“ Call his name Jezreel, For in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

And Jehovah said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.

Then the Lord said to him: Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little[ while], and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Then the LORD said to Hosea,“ Name him‘ Jezreel,’ because in a little while I will punish the dynasty of Jehu on account of the bloodshed in the valley of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

Yahweh said to him,“ Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and will cause the kingdom of the house of Israel to cease.

When Jehu’s letter arrived, the men went and got the princes. They killed all 70 of them. They put their heads in baskets. Then they sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.When the messenger arrived, he spoke to Jehu. He told him,“ The heads of the princes have been brought here.” Then Jehu ordered his men,“ Put them in two piles. Stack them up at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

I want you to know that the Lord has spoken against Ahab’s royal house. Not a word of what he has said will fail. The Lord has done exactly what he announced through his servant Elijah.”So Jehu killed everyone from Ahab’s family who was in Jezreel. He also killed all Ahab’s chief men. And he killed Ahab’s close friends and his priests. He didn’t leave anyone alive in Ahab’s family.

She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That’s because he will save his people from their sins.”

Israel burned incense to the gods that were named Baal. I will punish her for all the times she did that. She decorated herself with rings and jewelry. Then she went after her lovers. But she forgot all about me,” declares the Lord.

Finally, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. It was in the ninth year of Hoshea. The king of Assyria took the Israelites away from their own land. He sent them off to Assyria. He made some of them live in Halah. He made others live in Gozan on the Habor River. And he made others live in the towns of the Medes.All of this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. He had brought them up out of Egypt. He had brought them out from under the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But they worshiped other gods.The Lord had driven out other nations to make room for Israel. But they followed the evil practices of those nations. They also followed the practices that the kings of Israel had started.The Israelites did things in secret against the Lord their God. What they did wasn’t right. They built high places for worship in all their towns. They built them at lookout towers. They also built them at cities that had high walls around them.They set up sacred stones. And they set up poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They did that on every high hill and under every green tree.The Lord had driven out nations to make room for Israel. But the Israelites burned incense at every high place, just as those nations had done. The Israelites did evil things that made the Lord very angry.They worshiped statues of gods. They did it even though the Lord had said,“ Do not do that.”The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers. He said,“ Turn from your evil ways. Keep my commands and rules. Obey every part of my Law. I commanded your people who lived long ago to obey it. And I gave it to you through my servants the prophets.”But the people wouldn’t listen. They were as stubborn as their people of long ago had been. Those people didn’t trust in the Lord their God.They refused to obey his rules. They broke the covenant he had made with them. They didn’t pay any attention to the rules he had warned them to keep. They worshiped worthless statues of gods. Then they themselves became worthless. They followed the example of the nations around them. They did it even though the Lord had ordered them not to. He had said,“ Do not do as they do.”They turned away from all the commands of the Lord their God. They made two statues of gods for themselves. The statues were shaped like calves. They made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. They bowed down to all the stars. And they worshiped the god named Baal.They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced all kinds of evil magic. They gave up following God’s rules. They did only what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. All these things made him very angry.So the Lord was very angry with Israel. He removed them from his land. Only the tribe of Judah was left.And even Judah didn’t obey the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had started.So the Lord turned his back on all the people of Israel. He made them suffer. He handed them over to people who stole everything they had. And finally he threw them out of his land.The Lord took control of Israel away from the royal house of David. The Israelites made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, their king. Jeroboam tried to get Israel to stop following the Lord. He caused them to commit a terrible sin.The Israelites were stubborn. They continued to commit all the sins Jeroboam had committed. They didn’t turn away from them.So the Lord removed them from his land. That’s what he had warned them he would do. He had given that warning through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken away from their country. They were forced to go to Assyria. And that’s where they still are.

I gave Israel their letter of divorce. I sent them away because they were unfaithful to me so many times. But I saw that their sister nation Judah did not have any respect for me. They were not faithful to me either. They also went out and committed adultery with other gods.

But he didn’t turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit those same sins. Jehu worshiped the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.The Lord said to Jehu,“ You have done well. You have accomplished what is right in my eyes. You have done to Ahab’s royal house everything I wanted you to do. So your sons after you will sit on the throne of Israel. They will rule until the time of your children’s grandchildren.”But Jehu wasn’t careful to obey the law of the Lord. He didn’t obey the God of Israel with all his heart. He didn’t turn away from the sins of Jeroboam. Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit those same sins.

Jehu came to Samaria. He killed everyone there who was left from Ahab’s family. And so he completely destroyed Ahab’s royal house. That’s what the Lord had said would happen. He had spoken that message to Elijah.

You did the same things your sister Oholah did. So I will put her cup in your hand. It is filled with the wine of my anger.”

Then the Lord said,“ Name him Lo- Ammi.” Lo- Ammi means Not My People.“ That’s because Israel is no longer my people. And I am no longer their God.

They stripped her naked. They took away her sons and daughters. And they killed her with their swords. Other women laughed when that happened. I was the one who had punished her.

So the Lord, the God of Israel, speaks to the shepherds who take care of my people. He tells them,“ You have scattered my sheep. You have driven them away. You have not taken good care of them. So I will punish you for the evil things you have done,” announces the Lord.

You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must call him Jesus.

But they weren’t faithful to the God of their people. They joined themselves to the gods of the nations of the land and worshiped them. God had destroyed those nations to make room for his people.So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul. He was king of Assyria. He was also called Tiglath- Pileser. He took the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh to other countries as his prisoners. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan. And that’s where they still are to this day.

My God will turn his back on his people. They have not obeyed him. So they will wander among other nations.

And he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said,“ You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas.” Cephas means Peter, or Rock.

During the rule of Pekah, the king of Israel, Tiglath- Pileser marched into the land again. He was king of Assyria. He captured the towns of Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He also captured the lands of Gilead and Galilee. That included the whole territory of Naphtali. He took the people away from their own land. He sent them off to Assyria.

Shalmaneser marched to Samaria and surrounded it. It was in the fourth year of King Hezekiah. That was the seventh year of Hoshea, the king of Israel. Hoshea was the son of Elah. Shalmaneser was king of Assyria.At the end of three years the army of Assyria captured Samaria. That happened in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s rule. It was the ninth year of the rule of Hoshea, the king of Israel.The king of Assyria took the people of Israel away from their own land. He sent them off to Assyria. He made some of them live in Halah. He made others live in Gozan on the Habor River. And he made others live in the towns of the Medes.These things happened because the Israelites hadn’t obeyed the Lord their God. They had broken the covenant he had made with them. They had refused to do everything Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded. They hadn’t paid any attention to those commands. They hadn’t obeyed them.

The Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.

Then the earth will produce grain, olive oil and fresh wine. And Israel will be called Jezreel. That’s because I will answer her prayers.

He asked for something to write on. Then he wrote,“ His name is John.” Everyone was amazed.

But the angel said to him,“ Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will have a child. It will be a boy, and you must call him John.

A child will be born to us. A son will be given to us. He will rule over us. And he will be called Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God. He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever and Prince Who Brings Peace.

Gomer became pregnant again. She had a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea,“ Name her Lo- Ruhamah.” Lo- Ruhamah means Not Loved.“ That’s because I will no longer show love to the people of Israel. I will not forgive them anymore.

Shallum made evil plans against Zechariah. He attacked Zechariah in front of the people and killed him. Then he became the next king after him. Shallum was the son of Jabesh.The other events of the rule of Zechariah are written down. They are written in the official records of the kings of Israel.What happened to Zechariah is what the Lord said would happen. He had spoken that message to Jehu. The Lord had said,“ Your sons after you will sit on the throne of Israel. They will rule until the time of your children’s grandchildren.”( 2 Kings 10:30)

Then Jehu shot an arrow at Joram. It hit him between the shoulders. It went through his heart. He sank down slowly in his chariot.Jehu spoke to Bidkar, his chariot officer. Jehu said,“ Pick Joram up. Throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth from Jezreel. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Joram’s father Ahab? It was when the Lord spoke this prophecy against him. The Lord announced,