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.

Sones of Israel, here ye the word of the Lord, for whi doom is to the Lord with the dwelleris of erthe; for whi trewthe is not, and merci is not, and kunnyng of the Lord is not in erthe.

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

Curs, and leesyng, and manquelling, and thefte, and auowtrie flowiden, and blood touchide 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.

For this thing the erthe schal mourne, and ech that dwellith in that lond, schal be sijk, in the beeste of the feeld, and in the brid of the eir; but also the fischis of the see schulen be gaderid togidere.

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

Netheles ech man deme not, and a man be not repreuyd; for thi puple is as thei that ayen seien the prest.

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

And thou schalt falle to dai, and the profete also schal falle with thee; in the niyt Y made thi modir to be stille.

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 puple was stille, for it hadde not kunnyng; for thou hast putte awei kunnyng, Y schal putte thee awei, that thou vse not presthod to me; and for thou hast foryete the lawe of thi God, also Y schal foryete thi sones.

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

Bi the multitude of hem, so thei synneden ayens me. Y schal chaunge the glorie of hem in to schenschipe.

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

Thei schulen ete the synnes of my puple, and thei schulen reise the soulis of hem to the wickidnesse of hem.

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

And it schal be, as the puple so the prest; and Y schal visite on hym the weies of hym, and Y schal yelde to him the thouytis of hym.

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 thei schulen ete, and thei schulen not be fillid; thei diden fornicacioun, and ceessiden not, for thei forsoken the Lord in not kepynge.

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

Fornycacioun, and wiyn, and drunkenesse doen awei the herte.

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.

My puple axide in his tre, and the staf therof telde to it; for the spirit of fornicacioun disseyuede hem, and thei diden fornicacioun fro her 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.

On the heedis of mounteyns thei maden sacrifice, and on the litil hillis thei brenten encense vndur an ook, and a popeler, and terebynte, for the schadewe therof was good. Therfor youre douytris schulen do fornicacioun, and youre wyues schulen be auoutressis.

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.

Y schal not visite on youre douytris, whanne thei don fornicacioun, and on youre wyues, whanne thei doon auowtrie; for thei lyuyden with hooris, and maden sacrifice with men turned in to wymmens condiciouns. And the puple that vndirstondith not, schal be betun.

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.

If thou, Israel, doist fornicacioun, nameli Juda trespasse not; and nyle ye entre in to Galgala, and stie ye not in to Bethauen, nether swere ye, The Lord lyueth.

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

For as a wielde cow Israel bowide awei; now the Lord schal fede hem as a lomb in broodnesse.

17 Ephraim is ioyned to idoles: let him alone.

Effraym is the partener of idols, leeue thou him;

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

the feeste of hem is departid. Bi fornicacioun thei diden fornicacioun, the defenders therof louyden to brynge schenschipe.

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

The spirit boond hym in hise wyngis, and thei schulen be schent of her sacrifices.