Hosea 6

1 In their tribulation, they will arise early to me. Come, let us return to the Lord.

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 For he has seized us, and he will heal us. He will strike, and he will cure us.

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 He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live in his sight. We will understand, and we will continue on, so that we may know the Lord. His landing place has been prepared like the first light of morning, and he will come to us like the early and the late rains of the land.

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 am I to do with you, Ephraim? What am I to do with you, Judah? Your mercy is like the morning mist, and like the dew passing away in the morning.

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 Because of this, I have cut them with the prophets, I have slain them with the words of my mouth; and your opinions will depart like the light.

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

6 For I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God more than holocausts.

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; in this, they have been dishonest with me.

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

8 Gilead is a city that manufactures idols; it has been tripped up by family relations.

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

9 And, like those who rob with skillful words, they, by conspiring with the priests, bring a death sentence to travelers on a pilgrimage from Shechem; for they have been performing evil deeds.

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 I have seen horrible things in the house of Israel; the fornications of Ephraim are there. Israel has been contaminated.

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

11 But you, Judah, set a harvest for yourself, while I reverse the captivity of my people.

And Judah has put up disgusting images for himself.