Hos 6 | EE | STEP | ‘Come. We should return to the LORD. He attacked us, but he will bring us health. He has caused us pain. But he will help us. People cover, with pieces of cloth, the parts that hurt other people. And he will be like someone who does that for us.

Hosea 6

The people do not obey the LORD

1 ‘Come. We should return to the LORD.

He attacked us, but he will bring us health.
He has caused us pain.
But he will help us.
People cover, with pieces of cloth, the parts that hurt other people.
And he will be like someone who does that for us.

2 After two days, he will cause us to live again.

He will raise us up on the third day.
Then we can live near him.

3 We should try to know the LORD. We can be sure that he will come.

It will be like the sun when it rises at the beginning of the day.
He will come to us like the rain.
It will be like spring rain. It will bring water to the ground.’

4 ‘Israel’s people, I do not know what I should do with you.

Judah’s people, I do not know what I should do with you.
You soon stop loving me. You are like the morning cloud.
Your love is like the low cloud that goes away early in the morning.

5 That is why I have sent my prophets to you.

I wanted to cut you in pieces.
I wanted to kill you with words.
I will judge you. Then things will become clear.

6 I will judge you because I want you to love in the right way.

I do not want your sacrifices of animals.
I want my people to know me.
I do not want them to bring sacrifices.

7 But like Adam, the people did not obey the covenant.

They did not do in their country what they had promised to me.

8 Gilead is a city of men who do very bad things.

People have killed each other.

9 There are people who rob. They hide and they wait to attack someone.

In the same way, priests wait on the road to Shechem.
They attack people who pass by.
They have done very bad things.

10 Yes, I have seen many bad things in Israel.

Ephraim‘s people are like a prostitute.
This prostitute is very bad.

11 People in Judah, I have made a special time for you.

I will bring in the crops. At that time, I will tell you what you should do.
But I wanted very much to cause the good times again for my people!’ God says. ^{▼▼6:11 Verse 1 Israel’s people can hope in God. He will not forget them. God had to tell Israel’s people that they were wrong. But he now chooses to say different words.} ^{▼▼6:11 Verse 2 The two or three days mean a time that God has decided about. He has chosen a time. It will be like a dead person who lives again.} ^{▼▼6:11 Verse 5 The ‘words’ are the covenants. In Deuteronomy 33:9, the ‘word’ and the ‘covenant’ mean the same thing.} ^{▼▼6:11 Verse 7 We do not know for sure what the name ‘Adam’ means. It might mean a city. It might mean that Israel’s people have thought about the covenant like dirt.} ^{▼▼6:11 Verse 9 Shechem was an important city. We do not know the event that Hosea was thinking about.}