Hosea 6

A Call to Repentance

6Come, ^aand let us return to the Lord;

For ^bHe has torn, but ^cHe will heal us;

He has stricken, but He will ¹bind us up.

^2dAfter two days He will revive us;

On the third day He will raise us up,

That we may live in His sight.

^3eLet us know,

Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.

His going forth is established ^fas the morning;

^gHe will come to us ^hlike the rain,

Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

Impenitence of Israel and Judah

⁴“O Ephraim, what shall I do to you?

O Judah, what shall I do to you?

For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,

And like the early dew it goes away.

⁵Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,

I have slain them by ⁱthe words of My mouth;

And ²your judgments are like light that goes forth.

⁶For I desire ^jmercy ³and ^knot sacrifice,

And the ^lknowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

⁷“But like ⁴men they transgressed the covenant;

There they dealt treacherously with Me.

^8mGilead is a city of evildoers

And ⁵defiled with blood.

⁹As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man,

So the company of ⁿpriests ^omurder on the way to Shechem;

Surely they commit ^plewdness.

¹⁰I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:

There is the ⁶harlotry of Ephraim;

Israel is defiled.

¹¹Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you,

When I return the captives of My people.