Hosea 6
Superficial Repentance Breeds False Assurance of God’s Forgiveness
6:1 “Come on! Let’s return to the
He himself has torn us to pieces,
but he will heal us!
He has injured1 us,
but he will bandage our wounds!
6:2 He will restore2 us in a very short time;3
he will heal us in a little while,4
so that we may live in his presence.
6:3 So let us acknowledge him!5
Let us seek6 to acknowledge7 the
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.”
Transitory Faithfulness and Imminent Judgment
6:4 What am I going to do with you, O Ephraim?
What am I going to do with you, O Judah?
For8 your faithfulness is as fleeting as the morning mist;9
it disappears as quickly as dawn’s dew!10
6:5 Therefore, I will certainly cut11 you into pieces at the hands of the prophets;12
I will certainly kill you13 in fulfillment of my oracles of judgment;14
for15 my judgment16 will come forth like the light of the dawn.17
6:6 For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice;
I delight18 in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.19
Indictments Against the Cities of Israel and Judah
6:7 At Adam20 they broke21 the covenant;
Oh how22 they were unfaithful23 to me!
6:8 Gilead is a city full of evildoers;24
its streets are stained with bloody footprints!25
6:9 The 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!
6:10 I have seen a disgusting thing in the temple of Israel:
there Ephraim practices temple prostitution
and Judah defiles itself.
6:11 I have appointed a time to reap judgment26 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,27