Hosea 6

Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

‘Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces
    but he will heal us;
he has injured us
    but he will bind up our wounds.

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will restore us,
    that we may live in his presence.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Let us acknowledge the Lord;
    let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
    he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
    like the spring rains that water the earth.’

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

‘What can I do with you, Ephraim?
    What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
    like the early dew that disappears.

Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.

Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
    I killed you with the words of my mouth –
    then my judgments go forth like the sun.^[a]

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

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
    and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

As at Adam,^[b] they have broken the covenant;
    they were unfaithful to me there.

Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.

Gilead is a city of evildoers,
    stained with footprints of blood.

And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.

As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,
    so do bands of priests;
they murder on the road to Shechem,
    carrying out their wicked schemes.

I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

I have seen a horrible thing in Israel:
    there Ephraim is given to prostitution,
    Israel is defiled.

Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.

‘Also for you, Judah,
    a harvest is appointed.