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Hosea 6

The people say that they are sorry

6 ‘Listen! We should return to serve the Lord .
He has torn us to pieces, but now he will make us well again.
He has hurt us, but now he will make our wounds better. [ a ]
2 He will soon make us strong again.
After three days, we will have new lives.
Then we can live together with him.
3 We should respect the Lord 's authority.
We must try to know him better.
Then he will certainly come to rescue us.
He will come to us as surely as the sun appears each morning.
He will help us as surely as the rain comes in spring
and it makes the ground wet for plants to grow.’

The Lord replies

4 ‘People of Ephraim and Judah, can I forgive you so easily?
Your love for me soon disappears.
It goes away as quickly as mist or dew in the morning. [ b ]
5 I sent my prophets to warn you.
They gave you my messages that I would punish you.
Now that punishment will certainly happen to you!
I will suddenly come to judge you,
like the sun that rises at dawn.
6 It is faithful love that makes me happy.
That would be better than your sacrifices to me.
You should know me as your God.
That would be better than your burnt offerings.

7 Like Adam, my people did not obey the covenant that I had made with them. [ c ]
They did not serve me faithfully.
8 All the people of Gilead do evil things.
The blood from their murders lies on the streets.
9 The priests join together like robbers.
They hide themselves and they are ready to attack.
They wait on the road to Shechem,
ready to murder people who pass that way. [ d ]
They have done wicked things.
10 I have seen people do disgusting things in Israel.
Like a prostitute, Ephraim's people serve false gods.
Yes, the Israelites have made themselves unclean.

11 People of Judah, I will also punish you when the right time comes.
But I do want to bring my people back.’

Footnotes

  1. 6:1 Israel's people think that it will be easy for them to return to God. They think that he will quickly forget about their sins.
  2. 6:4 Mist is like a cloud near the ground. It makes small drops of water on the ground, called dew. These usually come early in the morning and they do not stay for a long time.
  3. 6:7 ‘Like Adam’ may mean the man that God created in the beginning. Or it may mean ‘at Adam’, the place where the Israelites went into Canaan.
  4. 6:9 Shechem was an important city.

The Rewards of Coming Back to the Lord

6 “Come, let’s go back to the Lord .
He hurt us, but he will heal us.
He wounded us, but he will put bandages on us.
2 After two days he will bring us back to life.
He will raise us up on the third day.
Then we can live near him.
3 Let’s learn about the Lord .
Let’s try very hard to know him.
We know he is coming,
just as we know the dawn is coming.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring rain that waters the ground.”

The People Are Not Faithful

4 “Ephraim, what should I do with you?
Judah, what should I do with you?
Your faithfulness is like a morning mist.
Your faithfulness is like the dew that goes away early in the morning.
5 I used the prophets
and made laws for the people.
The people were killed at my command,
but good things will come from those decisions. [ a ]
6 This is because I want faithful love,
not sacrifice.
I want people to know God,
not to bring burnt offerings.
7 But the people broke the agreement as Adam did. [ b ]
They were unfaithful to me in their country.
8 Gilead is a city of people who do evil—
people who have tricked and killed others.
9 The priests are like gangs of robbers
hiding and waiting on the road to attack someone.
They murder people before they reach safety in Shechem.
They do such evil things.
10 I have seen a terrible thing in the nation [ c ] of Israel.
Ephraim was unfaithful to God.
Israel is dirty with sin.
11 Judah, there is also a time of harvest for you.
It will happen when I bring my people back from captivity. [ d ]

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 6:5 but good things … decisions Or “I cut them with the prophets. I killed them with the words from my mouth. Light will come from your decisions.”
  2. Hosea 6:7 as Adam did See Gen. 3.
  3. Hosea 6:10 nation Literally, “house.” This might mean the royal family of that country.
  4. Hosea 6:11 It will … captivity Or “It will happen when I restore my people’s fortune.”

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The Response to God’s Rebuke

6 ( A ) Come, let’s return to the Lord .
For ( B ) He has torn us , but ( C ) He will heal us;
He has [ a ] wounded us , but He will ( D ) bandage us.
2 He will ( E ) revive us after two days;
He will ( F ) raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
3 So let’s ( G ) learn, let’s press on to know the Lord .
His ( H ) appearance is as sure as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the ( I ) rain,
As the spring rain waters the earth.”

4 What shall I do with you, ( J ) Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, Judah?
For your loyalty is like a ( K ) morning cloud,
And like the dew which goes away early.
5 Therefore I have ( L ) cut them in pieces by the prophets;
I have slain them by the ( M ) words of My mouth;
And the judgments on you are like the light that [ b ] shines.
6 For ( N ) I [ c ] desire loyalty ( O ) rather than sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But ( P ) like [ d ] Adam they have ( Q ) violated the covenant;
There they have ( R ) dealt treacherously with Me.
8 ( S ) Gilead is a city of wrongdoers,
Tracked with ( T ) bloody footprints .
9 And as a ( U ) band of robbers lie in wait for a person,
So a band of priests ( V ) murder on the way to Shechem;
Certainly they have committed an act of ( W ) infamy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a ( X ) horrible thing;
Ephraim’s ( Y ) infidelity is there, Israel has defiled itself.
11 Also, Judah, there is a ( Z ) harvest appointed for you,
When I ( AA ) restore the fortunes of My people.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 6:1 Lit struck
  2. Hosea 6:5 Lit proceeds
  3. Hosea 6:6 Or take pleasure in
  4. Hosea 6:7 Or men

Israel Unrepentant

6 “Come, let us return ( A ) to the Lord .
He has torn us to pieces ( B )
but he will heal us; ( C )
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds. ( D )
2 After two days he will revive us; ( E )
on the third day ( F ) he will restore ( G ) us,
that we may live in his presence.
3 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, ( H )
like the spring rains that water the earth. ( I )

4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim? ( J )
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears. ( K )
5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth ( L )
then my judgments go forth like the sun. [ a ] ( M )
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, ( N )
and acknowledgment ( O ) of God rather than burnt offerings. ( P )
7 As at Adam, [ b ] they have broken the covenant; ( Q )
they were unfaithful ( R ) to me there.
8 Gilead is a city of evildoers, ( S )
stained with footprints of blood.
9 As marauders lie in ambush for a victim, ( T )
so do bands of priests;
they murder ( U ) on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes. ( V )
10 I have seen a horrible ( W ) thing in Israel:
There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
Israel is defiled. ( X )

11 “Also for you, Judah,
a harvest ( Y ) is appointed.

“Whenever I would restore the fortunes ( Z ) of my people,

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 6:5 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  2. Hosea 6:7 Or Like Adam ; or Like human beings
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