The People's Insincere Repentance
1 The people say, “Let's return to the Lord! He has hurt us, but he will be sure to heal us; he has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds, won't he? 2 In two or three days he will revive us, and we will live in his presence. 3 Let us try to know the Lord. He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth.”
4 But the Lord says, “Israel and Judah, what am I going to do with you? Your love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day. 5 That is why I have sent my prophets to you with my message of judgment and destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear: 6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.
7 “But as soon as they entered the land at Adam, they broke the covenant I had made with them. 8 Gilead is a city full of evil people and murderers. 9 The priests are like a gang of robbers who wait in ambush for someone. Even on the road to the holy place at Shechem they commit murder. And they do all this evil deliberately! 10 I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: my people have defiled themselves by worshiping idols.
11 “And as for you, people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you also for what you are doing.
1 Come, and let vs returne to the Lord: for he hath spoyled, and he will heale vs: he hath wounded vs, and he will binde vs vp. 2 After two dayes will he reuiue vs, and in the third day he will raise vs vp, and we shall liue in his sight. 3 Then shall we haue knowledge, and indeuour our selues to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning, and he shall come vnto vs as the raine, and as the latter raine vnto the earth. 4 O Ephraim, what shall I doe vnto thee? O Iudah, how shall I intreate thee? for your goodnesse is as a morning cloude, and as the morning dewe it goeth away. 5 Therefore haue I cut downe by the Prophets: I haue slaine them by the wordes of my mouth, and thy iudgements were as the light that goeth forth. 6 For I desired mercie, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more then burnt offrings. 7 But they like men haue transgressed the couenant: there haue they trespassed against me. 8 Gilead is a citie of them that worke iniquitie, and is polluted with blood. 9 And as the eues waite for a man, so the companie of Priestes murder in the way by consent: for they worke mischiefe. 10 I haue seene vileny in the house of Israel: there is ye whoredome of Ephraim: Israel is defiled. 11 Yea, Iudah hath set a plant for thee, whiles I woulde returne ye captiuitie of my people.