Hosea 6

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

saying, ‘Come let us return to the Lord, for he has torn us but he will heal us, he has injured us but he will bandage our wounds,

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

he will revive in a couple of days, on the third day he will raise us up again, to live in his presence.

3 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.'

Let us know, let us eagerly seek to know the Lord. His coming is as sure as the sunrise. He will come to us like the winter rain, as the spring rain that waters the earth.’

4 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.

What can I make of you, Ephraim! What can I make of you, Judah! Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew which early goes away.

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

That is why I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth. My judgment is like the light that goes forth,

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

for it is love that I delight in and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God and not burnt offerings.

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

But they after the manner of men have transgressed the covenant, there they have played me false.

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

Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with bloody footprints,

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

and as bandits lie in wait for a man, so a band of priests murder on the way to Shechem. How terrible is the evil they do!

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

In Bethel I have seen a horrible thing. There Ephraim plays the prostitute, Israel is defiled.

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

Judah for you also a harvest is set. When I would restore the fortunes of my people,