Hosea 3
The Lord instructs Hosea to love a woman who is an adulteress, symbolizing God's love for the unfaithful Israelites who have turned to other gods. Hosea purchases the woman for 15 silver coins and a basket of barley, and instructs her to wait for him faithfully. This represents the Israelites' future period of spiritual barrenness, without a king or priest, but ultimately they will return to the Lord and seek His goodness.
1And the Lord said to me: "Go yet again, and love a woman, beloved by a friend, yet an adulteress, for so does the Lord love the sons of Israel, yet they look to strange gods, and love the seeds of grapes.2And I contracted her to me for fifteen silver coins, and for a basket of barley, and half a basket of barley3And I said to her, "You will wait for me for many days. You will not commit fornication, and you will not be with a man. But I also will wait for you.4For the sons of Israel will sit for many days without a king, and without a leader, and without sacrifice, and without altar, and without priestly vestments, and without religious symbols5And after this, the sons of Israel will return, and they will seek the Lord their God and David their king, and they will be terrified by the Lord and by his goodness, in the last days
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