And Jehovah said unto me, Go again, love a woman beloved of her friend, and an adulteress, even as Jehovah loveth the children of Israel, though they turn unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins.
So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and a homer of barley, and a 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 any man's wife: so will I also be toward thee.
For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king, and without prince, and without sacrifice, and without pillar, and without ephod or teraphim:
afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall come with fear unto Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter days.
Canonical academic citations for Hosea 3 (ASV) — copy in your preferred format.
Hosea 3 (ASV). Prime Bible, accessed July 21, 2026. https://primebible.com/asv/hosea/3.
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Hosea buys back his adulterous wife, foreshadowing Israel’s long season without king or sacrifice before they return in the latter days to seek the LORD and ‘David’ their king.
Marriage metaphor portrays Israel's unfaithfulness and God's persistent love.
Hosea 3 is presented with the full Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and verse-by-verse cross-references on Prime Bible — a free, nonprofit Bible study platform.