Hosea 6
New King James Version
A Call to Repentance
6 Come,(A) and let us return to the Lord;
For (B)He has torn, but (C)He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will [a]bind us up.
2 (D)After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
3 (E)Let us know,
Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord.
His going forth is established (F)as the morning;
(G)He will come to us (H)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.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets,
I have slain them by (I)the words of My mouth;
And [b]your judgments are like light that goes forth.
6 For I desire (J)mercy[c] and (K)not sacrifice,
And the (L)knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7 “But like [d]men they transgressed the covenant;
There they dealt treacherously with Me.
8 (M)Gilead is a city of evildoers
And [e]defiled with blood.
9 As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man,
So the company of (N)priests (O)murder on the way to Shechem;
Surely they commit (P)lewdness.
10 I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel:
There is the [f]harlotry of Ephraim;
Israel is defiled.
11 Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you,
When I return the captives of My people.
Hosea 6
English Standard Version
Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us (A)return to the Lord;
for (B)he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and (C)he will bind us up.
2 After two days (D)he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 (E)Let us know; (F)let us press on to know the Lord;
(G)his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us (H)as the showers,
(I)as the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, (J)O (K)Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O (L)Judah?
Your love is (M)like a morning cloud,
(N)like the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them (O)by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For (P)I desire steadfast love[a] and not sacrifice,
(Q)the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But (R)like Adam they (S)transgressed the covenant;
(T)there they dealt faithlessly with me.
8 (U)Gilead is a city of evildoers,
(V)tracked with blood.
9 As robbers (W)lie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to (X)Shechem;
they commit villainy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
(Y)Ephraim's whoredom is there; (Z)Israel is defiled.
When (AC)I restore the fortunes of my people,
Footnotes
- Hosea 6:6 Septuagint mercy
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
