Bible in Basic English
Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.
But like a man, they have gone against the agreement; there they were false to me.
Gilead is a town of evil-doers, marked with blood.
And like a band of thieves waiting for a man, so are the priests watching secretly the way of those going quickly to Shechem, for they are working with an evil design.
In Israel I have seen a very evil thing; there false ways are seen in Ephraim, Israel is unclean;
And Judah has put up disgusting images for himself.
— Hosea 6:6-1964, Bible in Basic English
And let us have knowledge, let us go after the knowledge of the Lord; his going out is certain as the dawn, his decisions go out like the light; he will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.
O Ephraim, what am I to do to you? O Judah, what am I to do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew which goes early away.
So I have had it cut in stones; I gave them teaching by the words of my mouth;
Because my desire is for mercy and not offerings; for the knowledge of God more than for burned offerings.
But like a man, they have gone against the agreement; there they were false to me.
Gilead is a town of evil-doers, marked with blood.
And like a band of thieves waiting for a man, so are the priests watching secretly the way of those going quickly to Shechem, for they are working with an evil design.
In Israel I have seen a very evil thing; there false ways are seen in Ephraim, Israel is unclean;
And Judah has put up disgusting images for himself.