Hosea 4
1 Hoort het woord van Jahweh, Israëls kinderen: Jahweh heeft een aanklacht Tegen de bewoners van het land! Want er is geen trouw meer, geen liefde, Geen kennis van God in het land;
You Israeli people, listen to this message from Yahweh! He is accusing you people who live in this country, [saying] “The people are not faithfully [doing what pleases me], they are not kind [to others], and they do not [even] know me!
2 Zweren en liegen, moorden, stelen en echtbreuk plegen, Het éne bloedbad volgt op het andere.
Everywhere in this land they curse [others], they murder [others], they steal, and they commit adultery. They act violently toward others and commit one murder after another.
3 Daarom is het land in rouw gedompeld, En kwijnen al zijn bewoners; Zelfs de beesten in het wild, de vogels in de lucht, En de vissen in de zee komen om.
It is because of their doing those things that there is no rain [MTY], the land has become dry, the people are mourning, and the people are dying [from hunger]. Even the wild animals and the birds and the fish in the sea are dying.
4 Toch is er niemand, die zich verzet, of berispt; Priesters, ook tegen u is mijn aanklacht gericht!
But no one should accuse someone else and say it is his fault. It is you priests whom I am accusing.
5 Gij zijt gestruikeld op klaarlichte dag, De profeet met u in de nacht.
So I will punish [MTY] you priests, night and day, and I will punish the prophets with you. I am going to destroy [Israel, the nation that is like] [MET] a mother to you.
6 Ik zal u verdelgen, zoals mijn volk wordt verdelgd, Daar het geen kennis van God meer bezit; Omdat ook gij die kennis hebt verworpen, Zal Ik u uit mijn priesterschap werpen. Omdat gij de wet van uw God hebt vergeten, Zal Ik ook uw zonen vergeten;
It is because my people do not know [about me] that they will be destroyed. And their not knowing about me is because you priests have refused [to teach them about me]; so I will no longer allow you to be my priests. You have forgotten the things that I taught you, so I will forget [to bless] your children.
7 Hoe talrijker ze werden, hoe meer ze tegen Mij misdeden, En hun glorie in schande verkeerden.
As there are more and more priests, they have sinned against me more and more. So I will no longer allow them to be honored; instead, I will cause them to be disgraced.
8 Ze leven van de zonde van mijn volk, En zitten te vlassen op zijn schuld;
The priests get food from [the offerings that the] people [bring in order to be forgiven for having sinned], [so] the priests want the people to sin more and more [in order that the people will bring them more and more offerings].
9 Daarom zal het den priester gaan als het volk: Ik zal zijn gedrag op hem wreken, zijn werken vergelden.
The priests [are as sinful] as the [other] people, and I will punish [all of] them for what they have done; I will pay them back for the [evil] things that they have done.
10 Ze zullen eten, maar niet worden verzadigd, Ontucht bedrijven, geen genot er in vinden. Want ze hebben Jahweh verlaten, om ontucht te doen,
[The priests] will eat, but they will still be hungry; they will have sex with prostitutes, but they will not have any children, because they have abandoned [me], Yahweh,
11 Wijn en most namen hun hart in beslag.
and they are devoting themselves to sleeping with prostitutes, and to [drinking] old wine and new wine, which results in their not being able to think clearly.”
12 Mijn volk ondervraagt zijn stuk hout, En zijn stok moet hem de toekomst voorspellen; Want hun wulpse geest heeft ze op een dwaalspoor gebracht, Door hun ontucht hebben ze hun God verlaten.
“[You] my people request wooden idols [to tell you what you should do]! Like prostitutes who have left/abandoned their husbands,
13 Ze offeren op de toppen der bergen, En branden wierook op de heuvels, Onder eik, wilg en terebint, Omdat daar de schaduw zo goed is. Neen, als uw dochters ontucht bedrijven, En uw schoondochters overspel doen,
you have abandoned [me] your God, and you are chasing after [other gods] on the tops of hills and mountains; you burn incense under oak [trees], poplar [trees], and other trees where there is nice/pleasing shade. So your daughters have become prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law have committed adultery.
14 Zal Ik uw dochters niet straffen, omdat ze ontucht bedrijven, Uw schoondochters niet, omdat ze overspel doen. Want zelf zonderen zij zich met deernen af, En offeren met tempelhoeren; Zo is het onverstandige volk Geheel te gronde gegaan!
But it is not [only] your daughters [whom I will punish] for having become prostitutes, and it is not [only] your daughters-in-law whom I will punish for committing adultery, because the men also are having sex with prostitutes, and they offer sacrifices with the prostitutes [who search for men at the] shrines [of the idols]. [They are all] foolish people, and they will [all] be ruined.
15 Israël, wilt gij ontucht bedrijven, Laat Juda zich niet schuldig maken! Gaat niet naar Gilgal, niet naar Bet-Awen, Zweert niet: "Zo waar als Jahweh leeft!"
You Israeli [people] have abandoned me like [MET] those who commit adultery have abandoned their spouses. But do not cause [the people of] Judah to sin [also]. Do not go to Gilgal or go up to Beth-Aven [towns] [to worship idols there]. Do not make solemn promises [there, saying ‘Just as surely] as Yahweh lives, [I will do what I am promising].’
16 Want Israël heeft zich verzet als een koppige koe, Nu zal Jahweh ze weiden als een losbandig lam;
You [people of Israel] are as stubborn as [SIM] a young cow. So there is no way [RHQ] that [I], Yahweh, will [provide food for them] [like a shepherd provides food for his] lambs [by leading them] to a nice meadow.
17 Efraïm heeft zich aan afgodsbeelden gekoppeld, Laat het begaan!
The people of Israel have chosen to worship idols [MET], [so] allow them [to do what they want to do].
18 Ze slempen wijn, zijn op ontucht verzot, En verkiezen de schande boven hun glorie!
When their rulers finish drinking [their wine], they go to find prostitutes; they love their disgraceful behavior.
19 Maar de storm pakt ze weg op zijn vleugels, Van hun altaren oogsten ze schande!
But they will disappear [as though] [MET] they were blown away by a whirlwind. They will become [very] ashamed because of their offering sacrifices [to idols].”
