Hosea 6

1 “Come on! Let's go back to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but now he will heal us. He has struck us down, but now he will bind up our wounds.

'Come, and we turn back unto Jehovah, For He hath torn, and He doth heal us, He doth smite, and He bindeth us up.

2 In two days he will heal us; after three days he will raise us up so we can live in his presence.

He doth revive us after two days, In the third day He doth raise us up, And we live before Him.

3 Let's get to know the Lord, really strive to know him, and he will appear to us as surely as the sun will rise; he will come to us as certainly as the spring rains fall on the earth.”

And we know — we pursue to know Jehovah, As the dawn prepared is His going forth, And He cometh in as a shower to us, As gathered rain — sprinkling earth.'

4 Ephraim, what shall I do with you? Judah, what shall I do with you? Your love disappears like mist at dawn; it vanishes like dew in the morning.

What do I do to thee, O Ephraim? What do I do to thee, O Judah? Your goodness [is] as a cloud of the morning, And as dew rising early — going.

5 So I cut you down through the prophets; I killed you with my words. My judgment shines out like a light.

Therefore I have hewed by prophets, I have slain them by sayings of My mouth, And My judgments to the light goeth forth.

6 I want your true love, not your sacrifices; I want you to know me, not your burnt offerings.

For kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings.

7 But you, just like Adam, broke our agreement, there you were unfaithful to me.

And they, as Adam, transgressed a covenant, There they dealt treacherously against me.

8 Gilead is a city of evil people where footprints are tracked in blood.

Gilead [is] a city of workers of iniquity, Slippery from blood.

9 Priests are like a gang of bandits, lying in wait to ambush travelers on the road. They commit murder in Shechem, carrying out wicked crimes.

And as bands do wait for a man, A company of priests do murder — the way to Shechem, For wickedness they have done.

10 I have seen in the house of Israel something totally disgusting: Ephraim engages in prostitution and Israel is sexually corrupt.

In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing, There [is] the whoredom of Ephraim — defiled is Israel.

11 And as for you, Judah, your harvest-time has been set! When I restore the fortunes of my people,

Also, O Judah, appointed is a harvest to thee, In My turning back [to] the captivity of My people!