Hosea 6

¹ In their affliction, they shall look for me: "Come, let us return to the LORD, For it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.

² He will revive us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up, to live in his presence.

³ Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD; as certain as the dawn is his coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day! He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth."

⁴ What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away.

⁵ For this reason I smote them through the prophets, I slew them by the words of my mouth;

⁶ For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.

⁷ But they, in their land, violated the covenant; there they were untrue to me.

⁸ Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood.

⁹ As brigands ambush a man, a band of priests slay on the way to Shechem, committing monstrous crime.

¹⁰ In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing: there harlotry is found in Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

¹¹ For you also, O Judah, a harvest has been appointed.