1 Come, let us go back to the Lord; for he has given us wounds and he will make us well; he has given blows and he will give help.2 After two days he will give us life, and on the third day he will make us get up, and we will be living before him.3 And let us have knowledge, let us go after the knowledge of the Lord; his going out is certain as the dawn, his decisions go out like the light; he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.4 O Ephraim, what am I to do to you? O Judah, what am I to do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes early away.5 So I have had it cut in stones; I gave them teaching by the words of my mouth;6 Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.7 But like a man, they have gone against the agreement; there they were false to me.8 Gilead is a town of evil-doers, marked with blood.9 And like a band of thieves waiting for a man, so are the priests watching secretly the way of those going quickly to Shechem, for they are working with an evil design.10 In Israel I have seen a very evil thing; there false ways are seen in Ephraim, Israel is unclean;11 And Judah has put up disgusting images for himself.

1 Kom en laat ons terugkeer tot die HERE; want Hy het verskeur en sal ons genees, Hy het geslaan en sal ons verbind.2 Hy sal ons n twee dae lewend maak, op die derde dag ons laat opstaan, sodat ons voor sy aangesig kan lewe.3 En laat ons ken -- laat ons dit najaag om die HERE te ken; sy opgang is so seker soos die dagbreek, en Hy sal tot ons kom soos die reën, soos die laat reëns wat die aarde besproei.4 Wat sal Ek met jou doen, o Efraim; wat sal Ek met jou doen, o Juda? aangesien julle liefde is soos 'n môre wolk en soos 'n dou wat vroeg weer verdwyn.5 Daarom het Ek hulle neergekap deur die profete, hulle gedood deur die woorde van my mond, en die oordele oor jou kom te voorskyn soos 'n ligstraal.6 Want Ek het 'n behae in liefde en nie in offerande nie, en in kennis van God meer as in brandoffers.7 Maar hulle het soos Adam die verbond oortree, daar het hulle troueloos teen My gehandel.8 G¡lead is 'n stad van kwaaddoeners, vol bloedspore.9 En soos 'n rower op die loer lê, loer 'n priesterbende; hulle pleeg moord op die pad na Sigem, ja, hulle het skandelike dade gedoen.10 In die huis van Israel het Ek 'n afskuwelike ding gesien: Efraim het daar tot hoerery verval, Israel is verontreinig.11 Ook vir jou, o Juda, is daar 'n oes beskik as Ek die lot van my volk verander.