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.
Aicinājums atgriezties pie Dieva
1 Ejiet, atgriezieties pie Kunga –
viņš saplosīja, un viņš mūs dziedēs,
viņš sita, un viņš mūs pārsies!
2 Viņš mūs atdzīvinās divās dienās,
trešajā dienā viņš piecels mūs,
un mēs dzīvosim viņa priekšā!
3 Pazīsim, tieksimies izzināt Kungu –
viņa atnākšana neapšaubāma kā ausma,
viņš nāks mums kā lietus,
kā agrīnais lietus nolīs pār zemi!
Israēla neatgriezība
4 Ko lai es tev daru, Efraim,
ko lai es tev daru, Jūda, –
jūsu uzticība ir kā mākonis,
tā paiet kā rīta rasa!
5 Tādēļ es cirtu viņus praviešu vārdiem,
nokāvu viņus ar savu muti!
Tiesa pār tevi –
kā gaisma, kas aust!
6 Uzticība man tīk, ne upuri,
un Dieva atziņa, ne sadedzināmie upuri!
7 Kā Ādams tie pārkāpa derību,
jau tur tie piekrāpa mani!
8 Gileāda –
nekrietno pilsēta, asinīm nopēdota!
9 Kā sirotāji, kas uzglūn,
tā priesteri sabiedrojušies,
Šehemas ceļā tie slepkavo,
nelietības vien dara!
10 Israēla namā es redzēju šaušalas,
tur dzen maucību Efraims,
jau sagānīts Israēls!
11 Arī Jūdai jau nolikta pļauja – tev!
Es atgriezīšos gūstīt savu tautu!
