Waiting for Restoration

¹Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.’[#3:1 Hs 1:2; #3:1 2Sm 6:19; 1Ch 16:3; Sg 2:5]

²So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and 330 litres of barley. ,,[#3:2 LXX reads barley and a measure of wine; #3:2 Lit silver, a homer of barley, and a lethek of barley; #3:2 Ru 4:10]

³I said to her, ‘You are to live with me many days. You must not be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way towards you.’

⁴For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.[#3:4 Hs 13:10–11; #3:4 Dn 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; Hs 2:11; #3:4 Hs 10:1–2; #3:4 Ex 28:4–12; 1Sm 23:9–12; #3:4 Gn 31:19,34; Jdg 17:5; 18:14,17]

⁵Afterwards, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.[#3:5 Jr 50:4–5; #3:5 Is 11:1–10; Jr 23:5–6; 33:15–16; Ezk 34:24; Rm 11:23; #3:5 Jr 31:9]