Hosea 6

1 Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.

Come, let us go back to the Lord; for he has given us wounds and he will make us well; he has given blows and he will give help.

2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.

After two days he will give us life, and on the third day he will make us get up, and we will be living before him.

3 So let us know— let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.

And let us have knowledge, let us go after the knowledge of the Lord; his going out is certain as the dawn, his decisions go out like the light; he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.

4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.

O Ephraim, what am I to do to you? O Judah, what am I to do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes early away.

5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My judgments go forth like lightning.

So I have had it cut in stones; I gave them teaching by the words of my mouth;

6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.

7 But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.

But like a man, they have gone against the agreement; there they were false to me.

8 Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with footprints of blood.

Gilead is a town of evil-doers, marked with blood.

9 Like raiders who lie in ambush, so does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely they have committed atrocities.

And like a band of thieves waiting for a man, so are the priests watching secretly the way of those going quickly to Shechem, for they are working with an evil design.

10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel is defiled.

In Israel I have seen a very evil thing; there false ways are seen in Ephraim, Israel is unclean;

11 Also for you, O Judah, a harvest is appointed, when I restore My people from captivity.

And Judah has put up disgusting images for himself.