Hosea Redeems His Wife
1 And the Lord said to me, x“Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a yhomer and a lethech1 of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must zdwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel zshall dwell many days awithout king or prince, bwithout sacrifice or cpillar, without dephod or ehousehold gods. 5 Afterward fthe children of Israel shall return and gseek the Lord their God, and hDavid their king, iand they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the jlatter days.
The Lord’s Love for Israel
1 uWhen Israel was a child, vI loved him,
and out of Egypt I wcalled xmy son.
2 yThe more they were called,
the more they went away;
zthey kept sacrificing to the Baals
and burning offerings to idols.
3 Yet it was aI who taught Ephraim to walk;
I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that bI healed them.
4 cI led them with cords of kindness,1
with the bands of love,
and dI became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and eI bent down to them and fed them.
8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
nHow can I make you olike Admah?
How can I treat you olike Zeboiim?
pMy heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
qfor I am God and not a man,
rthe Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.1
