1“Come, let us return to the Lord,a

For it is he who has torn, but he will heal us;

he has struck down, but he will bind our wounds.

2He will revive us after two days;

on the third day* he will raise us up,b

to live in his presence.

3Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord;

as certain as the dawn is his coming.

He will come to us like the rain,

like spring rain that waters the earth.”c

4What can I do with you, Ephraim?

What can I do with you, Judah?

Your loyalty is like morning mist,

like the dew that disappears early.

5For this reason I struck them down through the prophets,

I killed them by the words of my mouth;* d

my judgment shines forth like the light.

6For it is loyalty that I desire, not sacrifice,

and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.e