Osee 6

1 In their affliction they will seek me early, saying, Let us go, and return to the Lord our God; for he has torn, and will heal us; he will strike, and bind 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 After two days he will heal us: in the third day we shall arise, and live before him, and shall know [him]:

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

3 let us follow on to know the Lord: we shall find him ready as the morning, and he will come to us as the early and latter rain to the 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 shall I do to you, Ephraim? What shall I do to you, Juda? whereas your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew that goes 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 Therefore have I mown down your prophets; I have slain them with the word of my mouth: and my judgement shall go forth as the light.

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

6 For I will [have] mercy rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than whole burnt offerings.

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

7 But they are as a man transgressing a covenant:

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

8 there the city Galaad despised me, working vanity, troubling water.

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

9 And your strength [is that] of a robber: the priests have hid the way, they have murdered [the people of] Sicima; for they have wrought iniquity in the house of Israel.

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

10 I have seen horrible [things] there, [even] the fornication of Ephraim: Israel and Juda are defiled;

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

11 begin together grapes for yourself, when I turn the captivity of my people.

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