1 ` Come, and we turn back unto Jehovah, For He hath torn, and He doth heal us, He doth smite, and He bindeth us up.

¶ Come, and let us return unto the LORD; for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up.

2 H e doth revive us after two days, In the third day He doth raise us up, And we live before Him.

After two days he shall give us life: in the third day he will resurrect us, and we shall live in his sight.

3 A nd we know -- we pursue to know Jehovah, As the dawn prepared is His going forth, And He cometh in as a shower to us, As gathered rain -- sprinkling earth.'

And we shall know and follow on in knowing the LORD; his going forth is prepared as the dawn; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

4 W hat do I do to thee, O Ephraim? What do I do to thee, O Judah? Your goodness as a cloud of the morning, And as dew rising early -- going.

¶ O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? Your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goes away.

5 T herefore I have hewed by prophets, I have slain them by sayings of My mouth, And My judgments to the light goeth forth.

Therefore I have hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: that thy righteousness be as the light that goes forth.

6 F or kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings.

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

7 A nd they, as Adam, transgressed a covenant, There they dealt treacherously against me.

But they have transposed the covenant as of men: there they have rebelled against me.

8 G ilead a city of workers of iniquity, Slippery from blood.

Gilead is a city of those that work iniquity and is polluted with blood.

9 A nd as bands do wait for a man, A company of priests do murder -- the way to Shechem, For wickedness they have done.

And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the council of priests murder in the way by common accord; for they put the abomination into effect.

10 I n the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing, There the whoredom of Ephraim -- defiled is Israel.

I saw uncleanness in the house of Israel: there Ephraim played the harlot, Israel defiled herself.

11 A lso, O Judah, appointed is a harvest to thee, In My turning back the captivity of My people!

Also, Judah placed a plant in thee when I had turned the captivity of my people.