Hosea, 6

1. 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.

1. Come, let us return to Yahweh. He who shattered us to pieces, will heal us as well; he has struck us down, but he will bind up our wounds.

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

2. Two days later he will bring us back to life; on the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his presence.

3. 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.

3. Let us strive to know Yahweh. His coming is as certain as the dawn;

4. 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.

4. O Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O Judah, how shall I deal with you? This love of yours is like morning mist, like morning dew that quickly disappears.

5. 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.

5. This is why I smote you through the prophets, and have slain you by the words of my mouth.

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

6. For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice; it is knowledge of God, not burnt offerings.

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

7. At Adam they broke my covenant; there they were unfaithful to me.

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

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

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

9. Like thieves in an ambush, so are the priests; they murder on the road to Shechem and commit adultery.

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

10. In Bethel I saw their disgraceful conduct; that is where Ephraim played the harlot and was defiled.

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

11. (For you, too, Judah, I have a harvest stored when I bring back my captive people and heal Israel.)