| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. | 1"Come on! Let's return to the LORD! He himself 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, That we may live in His sight. | 2He will restore us in a very short time; he will heal us in a little while, so that we may live in his presence. |
| 3Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth. | 3So let us acknowledge him! Let us seek to acknowledge the LORD! He will come to our rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn, as certainly as the winter rain comes, as certainly as the spring rain that waters the land." |
| 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. | 4What am I going to do with you, O Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, O Judah? For your faithfulness is as fleeting as the morning mist; it disappears as quickly as dawn's dew! |
| 5Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And your judgments are like light that goes forth. | 5Therefore, I will certainly cut you into pieces at the hands of the prophets; I will certainly kill you in fulfillment of my oracles of judgment; for my judgment will come forth like the light of the dawn. |
| 6For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. | 6For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings. |
| 7“But like men they transgressed the covenant; There they dealt treacherously with Me. | 7At Adam they broke the covenant; Oh how they were unfaithful to me! |
| 8Gilead is a city of evildoers And defiled with blood. | 8Gilead is a city full of evildoers; its streets are stained with bloody footprints! |
| 9As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man, So the company of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Surely they commit lewdness. | 9The company of priests is like a gang of robbers, lying in ambush to pounce on a victim. They commit murder on the road to Shechem; they have done heinous crimes! |
| 10I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: There is the harlotry of Ephraim; Israel is defiled. | 10I have seen a disgusting thing in the temple of Israel: there Ephraim practices temple prostitution and Judah defiles itself. |
| 11Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you, When I return the captives of My people. | 11I have appointed a time to reap judgment for you also, O Judah! If Israel Would Repent of Sin, God Would Relent of Judgment Whenever I want to restore the fortunes of my people, |
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