Hoseas 4
1 Hør, Israeliter, HERRENS Ord, thi HERREN gaar i rette med Landets Folk. Thi ej er der Troskab, ej Godhed, ej kender man Gud i Landet.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel; for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; because there is no truth, nor kindness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
2 Man sværger og lyver, myrder og stjæler, horer, gør Indbrud, og Blodskyld følger paa Blodskyld.
There is false swearing, and lying, and murdering, and stealing, and committing adultery: they break the bounds, and blood toucheth on blood.
3 Derfor sørger Landet, og alt, hvad der bor der, sygner, Markens Dyr og Himlens Fugle; selv Havets Fisk svinder bort.
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the heaven; yea, also the fishes of the sea shall perish.
4 Dog skænde man ej, dog revse man ej, naar mit Folk kun er som dets Præster.
Yet let no man strive, let no man reprove another: and thy people are contentious equally with the priest.
5 Du skal styrte ved Dag, og med dig Profeten ved Nat....
Therefore shalt thou stumble in the daytime, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother.
6 Mit Folk skal gaa til Grunde, fordi det er uden Kundskab. Da du har vraget Kundskab, vrager jeg dig som Præst; du glemte din Guds Aabenbaring, saa glemmer og jeg dine Sønner.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, so will I also reject thee, that thou shalt not be a priest to me; and as thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, so will I myself also forget thy children.
7 Jo fler, des mere de synded, ombytted deres Ære med Skændsel;
The more they increased, the more did they sin against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.
8 mit Folks Synd lever de af, dets Brøde hungrer de efter.
The sin-offering of my people do they eat, and for their iniquity doth the soul of each one of them long.
9 Men Præst skal det gaa som Folk; jeg hjemsøger ham for hans Færd, hans Id gengælder jeg ham.
Therefore shall the same befall both people and priest: and I will punish every one of them for his ways, and recompense every one for his doings.
10 De skal spise, men ikke mættes, hore, men ej blive fler; thi de har sveget HERREN og holder fast ved Hor.
And they will eat, and shall not be satisfied; they will commit lewdness, and they shall not increase; because the Lord have they forsaken [not] keeping [his law].
11 Vin og Most tager Forstanden.
Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart.
12 Mit Folk raadspørger sit Træ, og Svaret giver dets Stok; thi Horeaand ledte dem vild, de boler sig bort fra deres Gud.
My people ask counsel of their stick of wood, and their staff shall tell them [the future]: for the spirit of lewdness hath caused them to err, and they are gone astray unfaithful to their God.
13 De ofrer paa Bjergenes Tinder, paa Højene brænder de Ofre under en Eg, en Poppel, en Terebinte, thi Skyggen er god. Saa horer jo og eders Døtre, saa boler jo og eders Kvinder;
Upon the tops of the mountains do they sacrifice, and upon the hills burn they incense, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because their shadow is good: therefore will your daughters play the harlot, and your daughter-in-law will commit adultery.
14 jeg straffer ej Døtrenes Hor, ej Kvinderne for deres Bolen; thi selv gaar de bort med Horer, ofrer sammen med Skøger; og det uvise Folk drages ned.
I cannot inflict punishment on your daughters when they play the harlot, nor on your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for they themselves associate with lewd women, and with harlots do they sacrifice: and so doth the people that doth not understand stumble.
15 Men selv om du, Israel, horer, maa Juda ej gøre sig skyldigt. Gaa ikke over til Gilgal, drag ikke op til Bet-Aven, sværg ikke: »Saa sandt HERREN lever!«
Yet though thou play the harlot, O Israel, let not Judah offend: and come not ye unto Gilgal, nor go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As the Lord liveth.
16 Thi som en uvan Ko er Israel uvan, skal HERREN saa lade dem græsse i Frihed som Lam?
For like an untamable cow is Israel disobedient: now would the Lord have fed them as a sheep in a wide pasture.
17 Efraim er bundet til Afgudsbilleder; lad ham fare!
Ephraim is bound to idols: let him alone.
18 Deres Drikken er skejet ud. Hor har de bedrevet; højt har deres Skjolde elsket Skændsel.
Their drinking bout will come to an end: while they are so often guilty of lewdness, their rulers love, prepare themselves but shame.
19 Et Vejr har omspændt dem med sine Vinger, og de skal blive til Skamme for deres Ofre.
The wind seizeth fast on them with its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
