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And the Lord said to me, Yet go thou, and love a woman loved of a friend, and a woman adulteress, as the Lord loveth the sons of Israel; and they behold to alien gods, and love the dregs of grapes. (And the Lord said to me, Now go thou, and love a woman loved by a friend, yea, a woman who is an adulteress, like the Lord loveth the Israelites; even though they turn to strange, or foreign, gods, and love the dregs, or the lees, of grapes.)

And I delved it to me by fifteen pence, and by a cor of barley, and by half a cor of barley. (And so I bought her back for me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for a cor of barley, and for half a cor of barley.)

And I said to it, By many days thou shalt abide me; thou shalt not do fornication, and thou shalt not be with an husband, but also I shall abide thee. (And I said to her, For many days thou shalt wait for me; thou shalt not do adultery, or idolatry, and thou shalt not be with a husband, and also I shall wait for thee.)

For by many days the sons of Israel shall sit without king, without prince, and without sacrifice, and without altar, and without priest’s cloak, and without teraphim, that is, images. (And so for many days the Israelites shall sit without a king, and without a prince/yea, without a leader, and without sacrifices, and without altars, and without sacred pillars, and without teraphim, or idols.)

And after these things the sons of Israel shall turn again, and shall seek their Lord God, and David, their king; and they shall dread at the Lord, and at the good of him, in the last days. (And after these things the Israelites shall repent, and shall seek the Lord their God, and David, their king; and they shall fear the Lord, and shall receive good things from him, in the coming days.)

Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife

The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.(A) Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.(B)

So I bought her for fifteen shekels[a] of silver and about a homer and a lethek[b] of barley. Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince,(C) without sacrifice(D) or sacred stones,(E) without ephod(F) or household gods.(G) Afterward the Israelites will return and seek(H) the Lord their God and David their king.(I) They will come trembling(J) to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.(K)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 3:2 That is, about 6 ounces or about 170 grams
  2. Hosea 3:2 A homer and a lethek possibly weighed about 430 pounds or about 195 kilograms.