Hosea 6
What Happens in This Chapter
The chapter begins with people calling each other to turn back to the LORD and be healed. Then God speaks. He says their love for him fades fast, like morning mist. He tells them he wants kindness and knowing him more than animal offerings, and he names the wrongs done in Gilead and by a band of priests.
Plain reading written for kids. Short sentences, everyday words, one idea at a time.
Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
1Come, let us go back to the LORD. He tore us, but he will make us well. He hurt us, but he will wrap up our wounds.
2After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
2In two days he will make us strong again. On the third day he will lift us up. Then we will live with him near us.
3Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
3Let us keep trying to know the LORD. He will come as surely as the sun comes up. He will come to us like rain. He will be like the spring rain that waters the ground.
4O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
4God says: Ephraim, what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? Your love for me does not last. It is like morning mist. It is like early dew that dries up fast.
5Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
5So I sent my prophets to cut you down with words. Prophets were people who told others what God said. My words struck you hard. My decisions shine out like lightning.
6For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
6I want you to be kind to each other, not to bring me animals to burn. I want you to know me more than I want gifts on the altar.
The KJV word here is "mercy." It means steady kindness and loyal love toward other people, not only forgiving them.
7But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
7But they broke our agreement, the way Adam did. Right there, they turned against me.
8Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.
8Gilead is a town full of people who do wrong. Bloody footprints are all over it.
9And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
9Robbers hide and wait to jump out at a traveler. A group of priests acts just like that. They kill people on the road to Shechem. They have done terrible things.
10I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
10I have seen something awful among the people of Israel. Ephraim runs after other gods there. Israel has made itself dirty.
11Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.
11Judah, a harvest is set for you too. It will come when I bring my people home again.
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