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The Response to God's Rebuke

¹ "^(C1)Come and let us return in repentance to the LORD,
For ^(C2)He has torn us, but ^(C3)He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will ^(C4)bandage us.

² "After two days He will ^(C1)revive us;
On the third day He will ^(C2)raise us up
That we may live before Him. ^(VR1)

³ "So let us ^(C1)know and become personally acquainted with Him; let us press on to know and understand fully the greatness of the LORD to honor, heed, and deeply cherish Him.
His ^(C2)appearing is prepared and is as certain as the dawn,
And He will come to us in salvation like the heavy ^(C3)rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth."

The Reply of the LORD

⁴ O ^(C1)Ephraim, what shall I do with you?
O Judah, what shall I do with you?
For your wavering loyalty and kindness are transient like the ^(C2)morning cloud
And like the dew that goes away early.

⁵ Therefore, I have ^(C1)hewn them in pieces by the words of the prophets;
I have slain them by the ^(C2)words of My mouth;
My judgments pronounced upon them by the prophets are like the light that shines forth obvious to all.

⁶ For ^(C1)I desire and delight in steadfast loyalty faithfulness in the covenant relationship, ^(C2)rather than sacrifice,
And in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. ^(VR1)

⁷ But they, ^(C1)like Adam, have ^(C2)transgressed the covenant;
There they have ^(C3)dealt treacherously against Me.

^8 (C1)Gilead is a city of wrongdoers;
It is tracked with ^(C2)bloody footprints.

⁹ And as bands of ^(C1)robbers lie in wait for a man,
So a band of priests ^(C2)murder on the road toward ^(F1)Shechem covering their crimes in that city of refuge;
Certainly they have committed ^(C3)crimes and outrages.

¹⁰ I have seen a ^(C1)horrible thing sins of every kind in the house of Israel!
Ephraim's ^(C2)prostitution (idolatry) is there; Israel has defiled itself.

¹¹ Also, O Judah, there is a ^(C1)harvest of divine judgment appointed for you,
When I ^(C2)restore the fortunes of My people who have been slaves to the misery of sin.