HOSEA
Hosea 6 ©
The penitent Israelites are brought in here exhorting one another to repentance and confidence in God’s mercy, v. 1, etc. God’s complaint about Israel’s instability in good and stubbornness in evil, 4.
COME,1 and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will 2heal us; he hath 3smitten, and he will 4bind us up.
After two days will he 5revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall 6live in his sight.
Then shall we 7know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going 8forth is 9prepared as the 10morning; and he shall come 11unto us as the 12rain, as the 13latter and former rain unto 14the earth.
¶ 15O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a 16morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
Therefore have I 17hewed them by the prophets; I have 18slain them by the words of my mouth: and 19thy judgments are as the light that 20goeth forth.
21For Ia desired mercy, and 22not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
But they like 23men haveb transgressed the 24covenant: 25there have they dealt treacherously against me.
26Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is 27polluted with blood.
And as 28troops of robbers 29wait for a man, so the company of 30priests murder in the way 31by consent: for they commit 32lewdness.
I have seen an 33horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
Also, O Judah, 34he hath set an 35harvest for thee, when I 36returned the 37captivity of my people.