何西阿赎回不贞之妻

耶和华对何西阿说:“你要再去爱那个另有新欢的淫妇,像耶和华爱以色列人一样爱她。尽管他们祭拜别的神明,喜爱葡萄饼,耶和华仍然爱他们。” 于是,我用一百七十克银子和一百五十公斤大麦赎回她, 对她说:“你要和我住许多日子。这期间不可行淫,不可亲近别的男人,我也不与你同房。” 以色列人也要有许多日子没有君王和首领,没有祭祀和神柱,也没有以弗得和家庭神像。 之后,以色列人将回心转意,寻求他们的上帝耶和华,归向他们的君王大卫。在末后的日子,他们将怀着敬畏的心归向耶和华,领受祂的恩惠。

God's Love Offers Hope

Once again the Lord spoke to me. And this time he said, “Hosea, fall in love with an unfaithful woman[a] who has a lover. Do this to show that I love the people of Israel, even though they worship idols and enjoy the offering cakes made with fruit.”

So I paid 15 pieces of silver and about 150 kilograms of grain for such a woman. Then I said, “Now you are mine! You will have to remain faithful to me, though it will be a long time before we sleep together.”

It will also be a long time before Israel has a king or before sacrifices are offered at the temple or before there is any way to get guidance from God. But later, Israel will turn back to the Lord their God and to David their king. At that time they will come to the Lord with fear and trembling, and he will be good to them.

Footnotes

  1. 3.1 unfaithful woman: This may refer to Gomer, the woman Hosea married (see 1.3), or it may refer to another woman.

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.

Israel Will Return to God

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a (A)lover[a] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.

So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. And I said to her, “You shall (B)stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.”

For the children of Israel shall abide many days (C)without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without (D)ephod or (E)teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and (F)seek the Lord their God and (G)David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the (H)latter days.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 3:1 Lit. friend or husband

Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.

So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.