6
1 Come, and let us return unto Hashem;
for He hath torn, and He will heal us;
He hath struck, and He will bind us up.
2 After two days He will revive us;
in the Yom HaShelishi He will raise us up,
and we shall live in His sight.
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know Hashem;
His going forth is established as the shachar (dawn);
and He shall come unto us as the geshem (winter rain),
as the malkosh (spring rain)* unto ha'aretz.
4 O Ephrayim, what shall I do unto thee?
O Yehudah, what shall I do with thee?
For your chesed (faithfulness, loyalty) is as an anan boker (morning cloud), and as the early dew that disappears.
5 Therefore have I cut them to pieces with the nevi'im;
I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
thy mishpatim are as the ohr (light, lightning) that goeth forth.
6 For I desired chesed, and not zevach;
and the da'as Elohim more than olot (burnt offerings).†
7 But they are like Adam, they have transgressed the brit (covenant);
there have they dealt treacherously against Me.
8 Gil'ad is a city of evil-doers,
is trodden with dahm.
9 And as gedudim (marauders) lie in wait for a man,
so the chever (band) [of] kohanim
murder in the way to Shechem;
for they commit shameful crimes.
10 I have seen a horrible thing in Bais Yisroel:
there is the zenut (whoredom) of Ephrayim;
Yisroel is tameh (unclean, defiled).
11 Also, O Yehudah, he hath set a katzir (harvest) [of punishment] for thee,
When I turn the Shevut Ami (Captivity of My people),‡
* 6:3 i.e., as the latter and former rain, which is the winter and spring rain † 6:6 Mt 9:13 ‡ 6:11 i.e., restore their fortunes