Hosea

Hosea’s marriage to Gomer becomes a living parable of Israel’s spiritual adultery. Judgment is real, yet God will allure his people and heal their apostasy.

Author: Hosea
Date: c. 755–715 BC
Theme: Unfaithful Israel and the steadfast love of God.
Key verses: Hosea 6:6; Hosea 14:4
World English Bible

Hosea 3

1The 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.” 2So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley. 3I 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.” 4For the children of Israel shall live many days without king, without prince, without sacrifice, without sacred stone, and without ephod or idols. 5Afterward 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.

World English Bible. The World English Bible is a public-domain modernization of the American Standard Version.