The Prophet’s Reconciliation With His Wife:
A Picture of the Lord’s Love

3 The Lord said to me, “Go again. Show love to a woman who is loved by another man, a woman who keeps committing adultery. Show love just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, even though they keep turning to other gods and loving the raisin cakes.”^[a]

² So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and nine bushels^[b] of barley. ³ I said to her, “You will stay with me for many days. You must not be promiscuous.^[c] You must not be with any other man, and I will also be for you.”

⁴ So the people of Israel will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred memorial stones, and without the special vest^[d] or family idols.^{[e] 5} Afterward the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

The Lost Sheep

15 All the tax collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus to hear him. ² But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³ He told them this parable: ⁴ “Which one of you, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls together his friends and his neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ ⁷ I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.

The Lost Coin

⁸ “Or what woman who has ten silver coins,^[a] if she loses one coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Forgive and Comfort the Repentant Sinner

⁵ Now if anyone has caused sorrow, he has not done it to me, but to all of you to some extent (not to overstate it). ⁶ This punishment inflicted on such a person by the majority is enough, ⁷ so that instead you should rather forgive and comfort him, or else such a person could be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ For that reason, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ In fact, this was also the purpose of my writing: I wanted to know the result of your being tested, that is, if you are obedient in all things.

¹⁰ If you forgive anyone anything, I do too. To be sure, if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake, ¹¹ so that Satan would not take advantage of us. We are certainly not unaware of his schemes.