Hosea 6

New Century Version

The People Are Not Faithful

6 “Come, let’s go back to the Lord.
    He has hurt us, but he will heal us.
    He has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds.
²In two days he will put new life in us;
    on the third day he will raise us up
    so that we may live in his presence ³and know him.
Let’s try to learn about the Lord;
    he will come to us as surely as the dawn comes.
He will come to us like rain,
    like the spring rain that waters the ground.”

⁴The Lord says, “Israel, what should I do with you?
    Judah, what should I do with you?
Your faithfulness is like a morning mist,
    like the dew that goes away early in the day.
⁵I have warned you by my prophets
    that I will kill you and destroy you.
    My justice comes out like bright light.
⁶I want faithful love
    more than I want animal sacrifices.
I want people to know me
    more than I want burnt offerings.
⁷But they have broken the agreement as Adam did;
    they have been unfaithful to me.
⁸Gilead is a city of people who do evil;
    their footprints are bloody.
⁹The priests are like robbers waiting to attack people;
    they murder people on the road to Shechem^[a]
    and do wicked things.
¹⁰I have seen horrible things in Israel.
Look at Israel’s prostitution;
    Israel has become unclean.