Hosea 6

1 “Come, and let us return to Jehovah! For he hath torn, and he will heal us; He hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

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 smite, and bind us up.

2 After two days will he revive us, On the third day he will raise us up, And we shall live in his presence,

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

3 Let us, therefore, know him; Let us ever strive to know Jehovah, His coming forth is sure as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter rain which watereth the earth.”

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.

4 O Ephraim, what shall I do to thee? O Judah, what shall I do to thee? For your goodness is like the morning cloud, And like the early dew, which vanisheth away.

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

5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth, And my judgments have gone forth like the light.

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

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

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

7 But they, after the manner of men, have transgressed the covenant; Even therein have they dealt unfaithfully with me.

But they are as a man transgressing a covenant:

8 Gilead is a city of them that do iniquity; She is full of footsteps of blood.

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

9 As troops of robbers lying in wait for a man, so is the company of priests; They murder in the way to Shechem; Yea, they commit heinous wickedness.

And thy 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.

10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel; There Ephraim committeth fornication, Israel is polluted.

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

11 For thee also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.

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