1“Come, let’s return to Yahweh! For he has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds.
2After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live in his presence.
3Let’s acknowledge Yahweh. Let’s strive to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.”
4“Ephraim, what can I do with you? Judah, what can I do with you? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that disappears early.
5Therefore, I have cut them down with the prophets; I have killed them with the words from my mouth. My judgments are like a flash of lightning.
6For I desire mercy, not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7But like Adam, they have broken the agreement. There, they were unfaithful to me.
8Gilead is a city of those who do evil; it is stained with blood.
9Just like gangs of robbers wait to attack a man, the priests murder people on the road to Shechem and commit shameful crimes.
10I have seen something horrible in the people of Israel. There is prostitution in Ephraim. Israel is corrupted.
11Also, Judah, there is a harvest waiting for you when I bring back the good fortune of my people.