Hosea 6

1 Come, let us go back to the Lord; for he has given us wounds and he will make us well; he has given blows and he will give help.

"Come, and let us 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 After two days he will give us life, and on the third day he will make us get up, and we will be living 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 let us have knowledge, let us go after the knowledge of the Lord; his going out is certain as the dawn, his decisions go out like the light; he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.

Let us acknowledge the LORD. Let us 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 O Ephraim, what am I to do to you? O Judah, what am I to do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes early away.

"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 So I have had it cut in stones; I gave them teaching by the words of my mouth;

Therefore I have cut them to pieces with the prophets; I killed them with the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.

6 Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.

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

7 But like a man, they have gone against the agreement; there they were false to me.

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

8 Gilead is a town of evil-doers, marked with blood.

Gilead is a city of evildoers; it is stained with blood.

9 And like a band of thieves waiting for a man, so are the priests watching secretly the way of those going quickly to Shechem, for they are working with an evil design.

As gangs of robbers wait to ambush a man, so the company of priests murder in the way toward Shechem, committing shameful crimes.

10 In Israel I have seen a very evil thing; there false ways are seen in Ephraim, Israel is unclean;

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

11 And Judah has put up disgusting images for himself.

"For you also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, when I restore the fortunes of my people.