Hosea 4

1 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.

Hear the word of the LORD, all of 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.

2 Instead there is only cursing, lying, murdering, stealing, and adultery. They commit violence, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches blood.

3 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.

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

4 But no one should accuse or blame anyone else. My quarrel is with you the priests—you are the ones responsible.

Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for your people are as they that strive with the priest.

5 Consequently you will stumble in daylight, and the prophet will stumble together with you in the night, and I will destroy your mother.

Therefore shall you fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with you in the night, and I will destroy your mother.

6 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.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

7 The more there were of them, the more they sinned against me, so I will change their glory into shame.

As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

8 They feed on the sin of my people, greedy for their iniquity.

They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.

9 So it will be for the people like the priests: I will punish them for what they have done, repaying them for their actions.

And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

10 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.

For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.

11 They destroy their minds with old wine and new wine.

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

12 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.

My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declares unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to go astray, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

13 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.

They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.

14 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.

I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that does not understand shall fall.

15 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.’

Though you, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not all of you unto Gilgal, neither go all of you up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD lives.

16 For Israel is as stubborn as a stubborn cow. Should the Lord then take care of them like a lamb in a wide pasture?

For Israel slides back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

17 Ephraim is bewitched by idols, so leave him alone!

Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

18 Once the leaders finish drinking, they go off and find prostitutes to sleep with. They love their shameful acts more than honor.

Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give all of you.

19 A wind will carry them away; they will be ashamed of their pagan worship.

The wind has bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.