New Century Version NCV
Good News Translation GNT
1 "Come, let's go back to the Lord. He has hurt us, but he will heal us. He has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds.
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 days he will put new life in us; on the third day he will raise us up so that we may live in his presence
2 In two or three days he will revive us, and we will live in his presence.
3 and know him. Let's try to learn about the Lord; he will come to us as surely as the dawn comes. He will come to us like rain, like the spring rain that waters the ground."
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 The Lord says, "Israel, what should I do with you? Judah, what should I do with you? Your faithfulness is like a morning mist, like the dew that goes away early in the day.
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 I have warned you by my prophets that I will kill you and destroy you. My justice comes out like bright light.
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 faithful love more than I want animal sacrifices. I want people to know me more than I want burnt offerings.
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 they have broken the agreement as Adam did; they have been unfaithful 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 of people who do evil; their footprints are bloody.
8 Gilead is a city full of evil people and murderers.
9 The priests are like robbers waiting to attack people; they murder people on the road to Shechemn and do wicked things.
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 horrible things in Israel. Look at Israel's prostitution; Israel has become unclean.
10 I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: my people have defiled themselves by worshiping idols.
11 "Judah, I have set a harvest time for you when I will make the lives of my people good again.
11 "And as for you, people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you also for what you are doing.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.