A reading from
the Book of the Prophet Hosea 6:1-6
“Come, let us return to the Lord,/ it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;/ he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds./ He will revive us after two days;/ on the third day he will raise us up,/ to live in his presence./ Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord;/ as certain as the dawn is his coming,/ and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!/ He will come to us like the rain,/ like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?/ What can I do with you, Judah?/ Your piety is like a morning cloud,/ like the dew that early passes away./ For this reason I smote them through the prophets,/ I slew them by the words of my mouth;/ For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,/ and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
The word of the Lord.
