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, people of Israel, for the Lord has an accusation against the inhabitants of the land! “There is no faithfulness, no loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land.

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

Instead there is only cursing, lying, murdering, stealing, and adultery. They commit violence, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

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

As a result the land dries up, and everyone who lives there is wasting away, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea—they are all dying.

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

But no one should accuse or blame anyone else. My quarrel is with you the priests—you are the ones responsible.

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

Consequently you will stumble in daylight, and the prophet will stumble together with you in the night, and I will destroy your mother.

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 dying because they don't know me. Because you have refused to know me, I refuse to accept you as my priests. You have forgotten my teachings, so I will forget your children.

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

The more there were of them, the more they sinned against me, so I will change their glory into shame.

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

They feed on the sin of my people, greedy for their iniquity.

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

So it will be for the people like the priests: I will punish them for what they have done, repaying them for their actions.

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

They will eat, but they will not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but they will not prosper because they have given up on the Lord to go and prostitute themselves to other gods.

١١ 11 قَدْ سَلَبَتِ الْخَمْرَةُ الْمُعَتَّقَةُ وَالْجَدِيدَةُ عُقُولَ شَعْبِي

They destroy their minds with old wine and new wine.

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

My people consult their wooden idols and their divining rods give them answers, for a spirit of prostitution makes them go astray. Prostituting themselves, they have deserted 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 offer sacrifices on the tops of mountains; they burn incense in the hills under the oak, poplar, and terebinth trees where the shade is pleasant. That's the reason why your daughters practice prostitution and your daughters-in-law 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.

I will not punish your daughters when they practice prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because you men visit whores and sacrifice with temple prostitutes. A people who lack understanding end up in disaster.

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.

Though you, Israel, have become a prostitute, may Judah not offend in the same way and not enter Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, nor swear saying, ‘the Lord lives.’

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

For Israel is as stubborn as a stubborn cow. Should the Lord then take care of them like a lamb in a wide pasture?

١٧ 17 إِنَّ أَفْرَايِمَ مُكَبَّلٌ بِعِبَادَةِ الأَصْنَامِ، فَاتْرُكُوهُ وَحِيداً.

Ephraim is bewitched by idols, so leave him alone!

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

Once the leaders finish drinking, they go off and find prostitutes to sleep with. They love their shameful acts more than honor.

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

A wind will carry them away; they will be ashamed of their pagan worship.