Hosea 4

1 Heare the worde of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controuersie with the inhabitants of the lande, because there is no trueth nor mercie nor knowledge of God in the lande.

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.

2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and whoring they breake out, and blood toucheth blood.

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

3 Therefore shall the land mourne, and euery one that dwelleth therein, shall be cut off, with the beasts of the fielde, and with the foules of the heauen, and also the fishes of the sea shall be taken away.

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:

4 Yet let none rebuke, nor reproue another: for thy people are as they that rebuke the Priest.

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

5 Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the Prophet shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.

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

6 My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge: because thou hast refused knowledge, I will also refuse thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me: and seeing thou hast forgotten the Lawe of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

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.

7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I chaunge their glorie into shame.

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

8 They eate vp the sinnes of my people, and lift vp their mindes in their iniquitie.

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

9 And there shalbe like people, like Priest: for I wil visite their wayes vpon them, and reward them their deedes.

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

10 For they shall eate, and not haue ynough: they shall commit adulterie, and shall not increase, because they haue left off to take heede to ye Lord.

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.

11 Whoredome, and wine, and newe wine take away their heart.

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

12 My people aske counsell at their stockes, and their staffe teacheth them: for the spirite of fornications hath caused them to erre, and they haue gone a whoring from vnder their God.

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.

13 They sacrifice vpon the toppes of ye mountaines, and burne incense vpon the hilles vnder the okes, and the poplar tree, and the elme, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall be harlots, and your spouses shall be whores.

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.

14 I will not visite your daughters when they are harlots: nor your spouses when they are whores: for they themselues are separated with harlots, and sacrifice with whores: therefore the people that doeth not vnderstand, shall fall.

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.

15 Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Iudah sinne: come not ye vnto Gilgal, neither goe ye vp to Beth-auen, nor sweare, The Lord liueth.

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.

16 For Israel is rebellious as an vnruly heyfer. Nowe the Lord will feede them as a lambe in a large place.

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

17 Ephraim is ioyned to idoles: let him alone.

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

18 Their drunkennes stinketh: they haue committed whoredome: their rulers loue to say with shame, Bring ye.

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

19 The winde hath bounde them vp in her wings, and they shalbe ashamed of their sacrifices.

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