Hosea 6

1 “Come, and we turn back to YHWH, For He has torn, and He heals us, He strikes, and He binds us up.

[The Israeli people say, ] “Come, let’s return to Yahweh! He has caused [us] to be injured, but he will heal us. He has caused [us] to be wounded, but [it is as though] he will put bandages on our wounds [MET].

2 He revives us after two days, In the third day He raises us up, And we live before Him.

After a very short time he will revive us; in less than three days he will restore us in order that we may live in his presence.

3 And we know—we pursue to know YHWH, His going forth is prepared as the dawn, And He comes in as a shower to us, As spring rain [and] autumn rain to the earth.”

We must try to know Yahweh; [if we do that, ] he will come [and help] us, as surely as the sun rises [every morning], as surely as rain falls every winter/cold season, and as surely as the rain falls again (in the springtime/at the end of the cold season).”

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

[But Yahweh knows they are insincere; ] [so he says to them, ] “You [people of] Israel, and you [people of] Judah, [I do not know] [RHQ] what I should do to you. Your being faithful [to me will disappear as quickly] as [SIM] the morning mist [disappears], like [SIM] the dew [on the ground] that disappears quickly [when the sun shines].

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

I warned [HYP] you by [the messages that I gave to] the prophets, [but you did not pay attention to my messages]. Therefore I will completely destroy you; the punishment that I give you will strike you like lightning.

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

I want [my people] to faithfully love [me] more than [I want them to offer] sacrifices [to me]; [I want them] to know me more than [I want them to] completely burn sacrifices [on the altar].

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

But they have refused to obey my agreement, [just] like Adam did; they have not been faithful to me.

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

Gilead is a city [full] of people who do wicked things; [in the streets] are the bloody footprints [of those who have murdered others].

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

The priests are like [SIM] bandits who wait (in ambushes/along the road) to attack people; they murder [people who are walking] on the road to Shechem, and they commit other disgraceful crimes.

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

I have seen horrible things [being done] in Israel [MTY]. The people have abandoned me [like prostitutes who have abandoned their husbands] [MET]; [so the people of] Israel have become unacceptable to me.

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

And you [people of] Judah, I have appointed a time when I will punish [MET] you, too. Whenever I wanted to enable my people to prosper again,”