For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us,
and He will heal us;
He has wounded us,
and He will bind up our wounds.

But they, like Adam, have violated the covenant;
there they have betrayed Me.

Gilead is a city of evildoers,
tracked with bloody footprints.

Like raiders who wait in ambush for someone,
a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem.
They commit atrocities.

I have seen something horrible in the house of Israel:
Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; Israel is defiled.

A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah.

When I return My people from captivity,

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What am I going to do with you, Ephraim?
What am I going to do with you, Judah?
Your loyalty is like the morning mist
and like the early dew that vanishes.

This is why I have used the prophets
to cut them down;
I have killed them with the words of My mouth.
My judgment strikes like lightning.

Let us strive to know the Lord.
His appearance is as sure as the dawn.
He will come to us like the rain,
like the spring showers that water the land.

He will revive us after two days,
and on the third day He will raise us up
so we can live in His presence.