Osee 6

1 In their affliction they will seek me early, saying, Let us go, and return to the Lord our God; for he has torn, and will heal us; he will strike, and bind us up.

“Come, let us return to Yahweh. For he has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds.

2 After two days he will heal us: in the third day we shall arise, and live before him, and shall know [him]:

After two days he will revive us; he will raise us up on the third day, and we will live before him.

3 let us follow on to know the Lord: we shall find him ready as the morning, and he will come to us as the early and latter rain to the earth.

Let us know Yahweh; let us press on to know Yahweh. His coming out is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the land.”

4 What shall I do to you, Ephraim? What shall I do to you, Juda? whereas your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew that goes away.

Ephraim, what will I do with you? Judah, what will I do with you? Your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.

5 Therefore have I mown down your prophets; I have slain them with the word of my mouth: and my judgement shall go forth as the light.

So I have cut them to pieces by the prophets, I have killed them with the words of my mouth. Your decrees are like the light that shines out.

6 For I will [have] mercy rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than whole burnt offerings.

For I desire faithfulness and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7 But they are as a man transgressing a covenant:

Like Adam they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me.

8 there the city Galaad despised me, working vanity, troubling water.

Gilead is a city of evildoers with footprints of blood.

9 And your strength [is that] of a robber: the priests have hid the way, they have murdered [the people of] Sicima; for they have wrought iniquity in the house of Israel.

As gangs of robbers wait for someone, so the priests band together to commit murder on the way to Shechem; they have committed shameful crimes.

10 I have seen horrible [things] there, [even] the fornication of Ephraim: Israel and Juda are defiled;

In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's prostitution is there, and Israel has become unclean.

11 begin together grapes for yourself, when I turn the captivity of my people.

For you also, Judah, a harvest has been appointed, when I will restore the fortunes of my people.