Hosea 6

A Call to Return to the LORD

1 Come on, let us go back to the LORD. He tore us up, but He will heal us. He struck us down, but He will bandage us back up.

2 After two days He will revive us, on the third day He will raise us up so we can live in His presence.

3 Let us know the LORD, let us press on to know Him. His coming is as sure as the sunrise. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the land.

God’s Frustration with Empty Repentance

4 What am I supposed to do with you, Ephraim, What am I supposed to do with you, Judah, Your loyalty is like morning fog, like dew that disappears fast.

5 That is why I cut you down with the prophets, I killed you with the words of My mouth, and My judgments flash out like lightning.

6 Because I want faithful love, not sacrifice. I want knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7 But like Adam, they broke the covenant. They betrayed Me right there.

Israel’s Corruption Exposed

8 Gilead is a city full of criminals, tracked with blood.

9 Like a gang waiting to ambush somebody, the priests murder people on the road to Shechem. They commit straight-up wickedness.

10 In the house of Israel I saw something horrible. Ephraim is out here prostituting itself, and Israel is completely defiled.

Judgment Still Coming

11 Judah, there is a harvest waiting for you too, when I restore the fortunes of My people.