6
A Call to Repentance
1Come,⚓ and let us return to the Lord;
For ⚓He has torn, but ⚓He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
2⚓After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
3⚓Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established ⚓as the morning;
⚓He will come to us ⚓like 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 ⚓the words of My mouth;
And your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6For I desire ⚓mercy and ⚓not sacrifice,
And the ⚓knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7“But like men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
8⚓Gilead is a city of evildoers
And defiled with blood.
9As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man,
So the company of ⚓priests ⚓murder on the way to Shechem;
Surely they commit ⚓lewdness.
10I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:
There is the harlotry of Ephraim;
Israel is defiled.
11Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you,
When I return the captives of My people.
6
Israel Unrepentant
1“Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
2After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
3Let 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,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
4“What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.
5Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth—
then my judgments go forth like the sun.⚓
6For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
7As at Adam,⚓ they have broken the covenant;
they were unfaithful to me there.
8Gilead is a city of evildoers,
stained with footprints of blood.
9As marauders lie in ambush for a victim,
so do bands of priests;
they murder on the road to Shechem,
carrying out their wicked schemes.
10I have seen a horrible thing in Israel:
There Ephraim is given to prostitution,
Israel is defiled.
11“Also for you, Judah,
a harvest is appointed.
“Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people,