The nation's suffering is intensified due to the length of the exile, and the feeling that God has abandoned them. The prophet encourages the nation by reminding them of the stable elements in their relationship with God: The fact that God relates to them as a parent, and views them as children; the fact that God vies them as a precious treasure; and the parable to a divorced wife to whom God continues to be loyal. The prophet later claims that God has not forgotten His nation, but the nation has shown that they are not ready for redemption.