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.

'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 After two days will he revive us, On the third day he will raise us up, And we shall 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 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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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