1 The Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman loved by another, and 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 myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley.
3 I said to her, "You shall stay with me many days. You shall not play the prostitute, and you shall not be with any other man. I will also be so toward you."
4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without sacred stone, and without ephod or idols.
5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall come with trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Today's Verse
For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil:
Verse Of The DayThe purchase pictures Israel living many days without king or sacrifice before finally seeking 'the LORD their God, and David their king,' a theme Hosea 4 returns to from a different angle. That same later-day seeking appears in Jeremiah 50:4-5.
