Hosea 4
1 Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord shall enter into judgment with the inhabitants of the land: for there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land.
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.
2 Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.
Instead there is only cursing, lying, murdering, stealing, and adultery. They commit violence, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the air: yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be gathered together.
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.
4 But yet let not any man judge: and let not a man be rebuked: for thy people are as they that contradict the priest.
But no one should accuse or blame anyone else. My quarrel is with you the priests—you are the ones responsible.
5 And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee: in the night I have made thy mother to be silent.
Consequently you will stumble in daylight, and the prophet will stumble together with you in the night, and I will destroy your mother.
6 My people have been silent, because they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt not do the office of priesthood to me: and thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.
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.
7 According to the multitude of them so have they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.
The more there were of them, the more they sinned against me, so I will change their glory into shame.
8 They shall eat the sins of my people, and shall lift up their souls to their iniquity.
They feed on the sin of my people, greedy for their iniquity.
9 And there shall be like people like priest: and I will visit their ways upon them, and I will repay them their devices.
So it will be for the people like the priests: I will punish them for what they have done, repaying them for their actions.
10 And they shall eat and shall not be filled: they have committed fornication, and have not ceased: because they have forsaken the Lord in not observing his law.
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.
11 Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness take away the understanding.
They destroy their minds with old wine and new wine.
12 My people have consulted their stocks, and their staff hath declared unto them: for the spirit of fornication hath deceived them, and they have committed fornication against their God.
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.
13 They offered sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burnt incense upon the hills: under the oak, and the poplar, and the turpentine tree, because the shadow thereof was good: therefore shall your daughters commit fornication, and your spouses shall be adulteresses.
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.
14 I will not visit upon your daughters when they shell commit fornication, and upon your spouses when they shall commit adultery: because themselves conversed with harlots, and offered sacrifice with the effeminate, and the people that doth not understand shall be beaten.
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.
15 If thou play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Juda offend: and go ye not into Galgal, and come not up into Bethaven, and do not swear: The Lord liveth.
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.’
16 For Israel hath gone astray like a wanton heifer: now will the Lord feed them, as a lamb in a spacious place.
For Israel is as stubborn as a stubborn cow. Should the Lord then take care of them like a lamb in a wide pasture?
17 Ephraim is a partaker with idols, let him alone.
Ephraim is bewitched by idols, so leave him alone!
18 Their banquet is separated, they have gone astray by fornication: they that should have protected them have loved to bring shame upon them.
Once the leaders finish drinking, they go off and find prostitutes to sleep with. They love their shameful acts more than honor.
19 The wind hath bound them up in its wings, and they shall be confounded because of their sacrifices.
A wind will carry them away; they will be ashamed of their pagan worship.
