Osee 4

1 Hear the word of the Lord, you 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.

Hear the Lord’s message, Israelites, for the Lord has brought charges against the inhabitants of the land, for there is no fidelity, nor true love, nor knowledge of God in the land,

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

but cursing, lying, and murder, stealing, committing adultery, and deeds of violence, and acts of bloodshed quickly follow each other.

3 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:

Therefore the land mourns, all its inhabitants languish, the wild animals and the birds of the skies, even the fish of the sea are dying.

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

Yet let no one bring charges, let none accuse, for your people are like those, who bring charges against a priest.

5 Therefore they shall fall by day, and the prophet with you shall fall: I have compared your mother to night.

You stumble by day, and the prophet stumbles with you by night, and I will destroy your mother.

6 My people are like as if they had no knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall not minister as priest to me: and [as] you has forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge I reject you from being priest to me. Since you have forgotten the teaching of your God, I also will forget your children.

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

The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. I will change their dignity to dishonour.

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

They feed on the sin offerings of my people, so they hunger after their guilt.

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

Thus it comes to be, like people, like priest: I will visit upon each punishment for their ways, and their deeds I will repay them.

10 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.

They will eat and not be satisfied, they will sleep around but stay childless, because they have abandoned the Lord to give themselves to

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

prostitution. Old and new wine take away the understanding.

12 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.

My own people ask counsel of a piece of wood! A stick gives them advice! For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray, they commit adultery against their God.

13 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.

On the heights of the mountains they sacrifice, and on the hills they burn incense under oaks and poplars and terebinths, for their shade is so pleasant. Therefore your daughters become cult prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

14 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.

I will not punish your daughters for committing prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law for adultery. Your men visit prostitutes, sacrifice with cult prostitutes. So a people without understanding come to ruin!

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

Though you commit adultery, Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, nor swear an oath, ‘As the Lord lives.’

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

Like a wilful heifer, Israel is stubborn. Can the Lord now feed them as he would a lamb in a broad pasture?

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

Ephraim is wedded to idols. Leave them alone!

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

When their drinking is over they sleep with the cult prostitutes, their rulers love shameful ways.

19 You are a blast of wind in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their altars.

A windstorm will wrap them in its wings and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.