< Hosea 4 >

1 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
'Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife [is] to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor knowledge of God, in the land,
2 Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, — they break out; and blood toucheth blood.
Swearing, and lying, and murdering, And stealing, and committing adultery — have increased, And blood against blood hath touched.
3 For this shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.
Therefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea — they are removed.
4 Yet let no man strive, and let no man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.
Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And thy people [are] as those striving with a priest.
5 And thou shalt stumble by day; and the prophet also shall stumble with thee by night: and I will destroy thy mother.
And thou hast stumbled in the day, And stumbled hath also a prophet with thee in the night, And I have cut off thy mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; for thou hast rejected knowledge, and I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.
Cut off have been My people for lack of knowledge, Because thou knowledge hast rejected, I reject thee from being priest to Me, And thou forgettest the law of thy God, I forget thy sons, I also!
7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.
According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change.
8 They eat the sin of my people, and their soul longeth for their iniquity.
The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.
9 And it shall be as the people so the priest; and I will visit their ways upon them, and recompense to them their doings;
And it hath been, like people, like priest, And I have charged on it its ways, And its habitual doings I return to it.
10 and they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: for they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.
And they have eaten, and are not satisfied, They have gone a-whoring, and increase not, For they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.
11 Fornication, and wine, and new wine take away the heart.
Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,
12 My people ask counsel of their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredoms causeth [them] to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God:
My people at its staff asketh and its rod declareth to it, For a spirit of whoredoms hath caused to err, And they go a-whoring from under their God.
13 they sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because the shade thereof is good; therefore your daughters play the harlot and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
On tops of the mountains they do sacrifice, And on the hills they make perfume, Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, For good [is] its shade.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your daughters-in-law for their committing adultery; for they themselves go aside with harlots, and they sacrifice with prostitutes: and the people that doth not understand shall come to ruin.
Therefore commit whoredom do your daughters, And your spouses commit adultery, I do not see after your daughters when they commit whoredom, And after your spouses when they commit adultery, For they with the harlots are separated, And with the whores they do sacrifice, A people that doth not understand kicketh.
15 Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah trespass; and come ye not unto Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear [As] Jehovah liveth!
Though a harlot thou [art], O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.
16 For Israel is refractory as an untractable heifer; now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide [pasture].
For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.
17 — Ephraim is joined to idols: leave him alone.
Joined to idols [is] Ephraim, let him alone.
18 Their drink is sour; they give themselves up to whoredom; her great men passionately love [their] shame.
Sour [is] their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly.
19 The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!

< Hosea 4 >