Hosea 6

A Call to Repentance

1. “Come, let us return to the Lord. 1 He has torn us to pieces; 1 now he will heal us. 1 He has injured us; 1 now he will bandage our wounds.

2. In just a short time he will restore us, 2 so that we may live in his presence.

3. Oh, that we might know the Lord! 3 Let us press on to know him. 3 He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn 3 or the coming of rains in early spring.”

4. “O Israel[a] and Judah, 4 what should I do with you?” asks the Lord. 4 “For your love vanishes like the morning mist 4 and disappears like dew in the sunlight.

5. I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces— 5 to slaughter you with my words, 5 with judgments as inescapable as light.

6. I want you to show love,[b] 6 not offer sacrifices. 6 I want you to know me[c] 6 more than I want burnt offerings.

7. But like Adam,[d] you broke my covenant 7 and betrayed my trust.

8. “Gilead is a city of sinners, 8 tracked with footprints of blood.

9. Priests form bands of robbers, 9 waiting in ambush for their victims. 9 They murder travelers along the road to Shechem 9 and practice every kind of sin.

10. Yes, I have seen something horrible in Ephraim and Israel: 10 My people are defiled by prostituting themselves with other gods!

11. “O Judah, a harvest of punishment is also waiting for you, 11 though I wanted to restore the fortunes of my people.

Footnotes:
a. 6:4: Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel.
b. 6:6a: Greek version translates this Hebrew term as to show mercy. Compare Matt 9:13; 12:7.
c. 6:6b: Hebrew to know God.
d. 6:7: Or But at Adam.