Hosea 6

1 “Come, let us return to Yahweh. For he has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has injured us, but he will bandage 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 After two days he will revive us; he will raise us up on the third day, and we will live before him.

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

3 Let us know Yahweh; let us press on to know Yahweh. His coming out is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the land.”

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 will I do with you? Judah, what will I do with you? Your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.

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 have cut them to pieces by the prophets, I have killed them with the words of my mouth. Your decrees are like the light that shines out.

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 desire faithfulness and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

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

7 Like Adam they have broken the covenant; they were unfaithful to me.

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

8 Gilead is a city of evildoers with footprints of blood.

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

9 As gangs of robbers wait for someone, so the priests band together to commit murder on the way to Shechem; they have committed shameful 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 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's prostitution is there, and Israel has become unclean.

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

11 For you also, Judah, a harvest has been appointed, when I will 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!