Hos 6, Hos 12 | ESV | STEP | Come , let us return to the Lord ; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

1 “Come, let us ^areturn to the Lord;
for ^bhe has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and ^che will bind us up.
2 After two days ^dhe will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
3 ^eLet us know; ^flet us press on to know the Lord;
^ghis going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us ^has the showers,
ⁱas the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What shall I do with you, ^jO ^kEphraim?
What shall I do with you, O ^lJudah?
Your love is ^mlike a morning cloud,
ⁿlike the dew that goes early away.
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them ^oby the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For ^pI desire steadfast love ^{▼▼Septuagint mercy} and not sacrifice,
^rthe knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
7 But ^slike Adam they ^ttransgressed the covenant;
^uthere they dealt faithlessly with me.
8 ^vGilead is a city of evildoers,
^wtracked with blood.
9 As robbers ^xlie in wait for a man,
so the priests band together;
they murder on the way to ^yShechem;
they commit villainy.
10 In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing;
^zEphraim’s whoredom is there; ^aaIsrael is defiled.
11 For you also, O ^abJudah, ^aca harvest is appointed.
When ^adI restore the fortunes of my people,

Hosea 12

1 Ephraim feeds on the wind
and pursues ^aethe east wind all day long;
they multiply ^affalsehood and violence;
^agthey make a covenant with Assyria,
and ^ahoil is carried to Egypt.

The Lord’s Indictment of Israel and Judah

2 ^aiThe Lord has an indictment against Judah
and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
he will repay him according to his deeds.
3 ^ajIn the womb he took his brother by the heel,
and in his manhood he strove with God.
4 He strove with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought his favor.
^akHe met God ^{▼▼Hebrew him} at Bethel,
and there God spoke with us—
5 the Lord, the God of hosts,
^amthe Lord is his memorial name:
6 “So you, ^anby the help of your God, return,
^aohold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”
7 A merchant, in whose hands are ^apfalse balances,
he loves ^aqto oppress.
8 Ephraim has said, “Ah, but ^arI am rich;
I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors ^asthey cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
9 ^atI am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you ^audwell in tents,
as in the days of the appointed feast.
10 ^avI spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied ^awvisions,
and through the prophets gave parables.
11 ^axIf there is iniquity in Gilead,
they shall surely come to nothing:
^ayin Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
^aztheir altars also are like stone heaps
^baon the furrows of the field.
12 ^bbJacob fled to the land of Aram;
there Israel ^bcserved for a wife,
and for a wife he guarded sheep.
13 By ^bda prophet ^bethe Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet he was guarded.
14 ^bfEphraim has given bitter provocation;
so his Lord ^bgwill leave his bloodguilt on him
^bhand will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.