هُوشَع 4

١ 1 اسْمَعُوا كَلِمَةَ الرَّبِّ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، لأَنَّ لِلرَّبِّ دَعْوَى عَلَى أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ إِذْ خَلَتِ الأَرْضُ مِنَ الأَمَانَةِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَمَعْرِفَةِ اللهِ.

Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord [has] a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

٢ 2 وَتَفَشَّتْ فِيهَا اللَّعْنَةُ وَالْكَذِبُ وَالْقَتْلُ وَالسَّرِقَةُ وَالْفِسْقُ. قَدْ تَخَطَّوْا كُلَّ حَدٍّ، وَسَفْكُ الدَّمِ يَعْقُبُهُ سَفْكُ دَمٍ.

Cursing, and lying, and murder, and theft, and adultery abound in the land, and they mingle blood with blood.

٣ 3 لِذَلِكَ تَنُوحُ الأَرْضُ، وَيَذْوِي كُلُّ مُقِيمٍ فِيهَا، فَضْلاً عَنْ وَحْشِ الْبَرِّ وَطَيْرِ السَّمَاءِ، بَلْ سَمَكُ الْبَحْرِ يُسْتَأْصَلُ أَيْضاً.

Therefore shall the land mourn, and shall be diminished with all that dwell in it, with the wild beasts of the field, and the reptiles of the earth, and with the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea shall fail:

٤ 4 وَلَكِنْ لَا يُخَاصِمُ أَحَدٌ أَحَداً، وَلا يَتَّهِمُهُ لأَنَّ دَعْوَايَ هِي ضِدَّكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْكَهَنَةُ.

that neither any one may plead, nor any one reprove [another]; but my people are as a priest spoken against.

٥ 5 إِنَّكَ تَتَعَثَّرُ فِي النَّهَارِ، وَيَكْبُو النَّبِيُّ مَعَكَ فِي اللَّيْلِ، وَأَنَا أُدَمِّرُ أُمَّكُمْ إِسْرَائِيلَ.

Therefore they shall fall by day, and the prophet with thee shall fall: I have compared thy mother unto night.

٦ 6 قَدْ هَلَكَ شَعْبِي لافْتِقَارِهِ إِلَى الْمَعْرِفَةِ، وَلأَنَّكَ رَفَضْتَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ فَأَنَا أَرْفُضُكَ فَلا تَكُونُ لِي كَاهِناً، أَنْتَ تَجَاهَلْتَ شَرِيعَتِي لِذَلِكَ أَنَا أَنْسَى أَبْنَاءَكَ.

My people are like as if they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt not minister as priest to me: and [as] thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

٧ 7 وَبِقَدْرِ مَا تَكَاثَرُوا تَفَاقَمَتْ خَطِيئَتُهُمْ، لِذَلِكَ أُحَوِّلُ مَجْدَهُمْ إِلَى عَارٍ.

According to their multitude, so they sinned against me: I will turn their glory into shame.

٨ 8 يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ ذَبَائِحِ خَطِيئَةِ شَعْبِي وَيَفْرَحُونَ لِتَمَادِيهِمْ فِي الإِثْمِ لِيَكْثُرَ نَصِيبُهُمْ مِنْهَا.

They will devour the sins of my people, and will set their hearts on their iniquities.

٩ 9 فَيُصْبِحُ الشَّعْبُ كَالْكَاهِنِ. وَأُعَاقِبُهُمْ جَمِيعاً عَلَى سُوءِ تَصَرُّفَاتِهِمْ وَأَجْزِيهِمْ عَلَى أَعْمَالِهِمْ.

And the priest shall be as the people: and I will avenge on them their ways, and I will recompense to them their counsels.

١٠ 10 فَيَأْكُلُونَ وَلا يَشْبَعُونَ، وَيَزْنُونَ وَلا يَتَكَاثَرُونَ، لأَنَّهُمْ نَبَذُوا الرَّبَّ وَاسْتَسْلَمُوا إِلَى الْعَهَارَةِ.

And they shall eat, and shall not be satisfied: they have gone a-whoring, and shall by no means prosper: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

١١ 11 قَدْ سَلَبَتِ الْخَمْرَةُ الْمُعَتَّقَةُ وَالْجَدِيدَةُ عُقُولَ شَعْبِي

The heart of my people has gladly engaged in fornication and wine and strong drink.

١٢ 12 فَيَطْلُبُونَ مَشُورَةَ قِطْعَةِ خَشَبٍ وَيَسْأَلُونَ عَصاً! لأَنَّ رُوحَ زِنىً قَدْ أَضَلَّهُمْ فَنَبَذُوا إِلَهَهُمْ وَزَنَوْا وَرَاءَ آخَرَ.

They asked counsel by [means of] signs, and they reported answer to them by their staves: they have gone astray in a spirit of whoredom, and gone grievously a-whoring from their God.

١٣ 13 ذَبَحُوا عَلَى قِمَمِ الْجِبَالِ وَأَصْعَدُوا تَقْدِمَاتِهِمْ عَلَى التِّلالِ وَتَحْتَ شَجَرِ الْبَلُّوطِ وَاللُّبْنَى وَالْبُطْمِ لِطِيبِ ظِلِّهَا. لِذَلِكَ تَزْنِي بَنَاتُكُمْ وَتَفْسِقُ كَنَّاتُكُمْ.

They have sacrificed on the tops of the mountains, and on the hills they have sacrificed under the oak and poplar, and under the shady tree, because the shade was good: therefore your daughters shall go a-whoring, and your daughters-in-law shall commit adultery.

١٤ 14 وَلَكِنِّي لَنْ أُعَاقِبَ بَنَاتِكُمْ حِينَ يَزْنِينَ، وَلا كَنَّاتِكُمْ حِينَ يَفْسِقْنَ لأَنَّ الرِّجَالَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ قَدْ تَوَرَّطُوا مَعَ الزَّانِيَاتِ، وَذَبَحُوا مُحَرَّمَاتٍ مَعَ بَغَايَا الْمَعَابِدِ الْوَثَنِيَّةِ، وَالشَّعْبُ غَيْرُ الْمُتَعَقِّلِ يَلْحَقُ بِهِ الدَّمَارُ.

And I will not visit upon your daughters when they shall commit fornication, nor your daughters-in-law when they shall commit adultery: for they themselves mingled themselves with harlots, and sacrificed with polluted ones, and the people that understood not entangled itself with a harlot.

١٥ 15 فَإِنْ كُنْتَ يَا شَعْبَ إِسْرَائِيلَ زَانِياً، فَلا تَجْعَلْ يَهُوذَا يَأْثَمُ أَوْ يَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْجِلْجَالِ أَوْ إِلَى بَيْتِ آوَنَ وَلا يَحْلِفُ قَائِلاً: حَيٌّ هُوَ الرَّبُّ.

But thou, O Israel, be not ignorant, and go ye not, [men of] Juda, to Galgala; and go not up to the house of On, and swear not by the living Lord.

١٦ 16 إِنَّ إِسْرَائِيلَ شَعْبٌ عَنِيدٌ كَعِجْلَةٍ جَامِحَةٍ، فَكَيْفَ يَرْعَاهُمُ الرَّبُّ كَحَمَلٍ فِي مَرْجٍ رَحْبٍ؟

For Israel was maddened like a mad heifer: now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a wide place.

١٧ 17 إِنَّ أَفْرَايِمَ مُكَبَّلٌ بِعِبَادَةِ الأَصْنَامِ، فَاتْرُكُوهُ وَحِيداً.

Ephraim, joined with idols, has laid stumbling-blocks in his own way.

١٨ 18 وَحَالَمَا يَنْضُبُ خَمْرُهُمْ يَنْغَمِسُونَ فِي فَسَادِهِمْ، مُفَضِّلِينَ الْعَارَ عَلَى الشَّرَفِ.

He has chosen the Chananites: they have grievously gone a-whoring: they have loved dishonour through her insolence.

١٩ 19 قَدْ صَرَّتْهُمُ الرِّيحُ فِي أَجْنِحَتِهَا، وَأَنْزَلَتْ بِهِمْ ذَبَائِحُهُمُ الْوَثَنِيَّةُ الْعَارَ.

Thou art a blast of wind in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their altars.