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.

“Come! Let’s return to the LORD; for he has torn us to pieces, and he will heal us; he has injured us, and he will bind up our wounds.

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

After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him.

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’s acknowledge the LORD. Let’s press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, the LORD will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like 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.

“Ephraim, what shall I do to you? Judah, what shall I do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that disappears early.

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

Therefore I have cut them to pieces with the prophets; I killed them with the words of my mouth. Your judgements are like a flash of lightning.

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

For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

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

But they, like Adam, have broken the covenant. They were unfaithful to me there.

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

Gilead is a city of those who work iniquity; it is stained with blood.

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

As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man, so the company of priests murder on the path towards Shechem, committing shameful crimes.

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

In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing. There is prostitution in Ephraim. Israel is defiled.

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

“Also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, when I restore the fortunes of my people.