Hosea 4

1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel! for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

“Hear a word of YHWH, sons of Israel, For a strife [is] to YHWH 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 all bounds, and blood toucheth blood.

Swearing, and lying, and murdering, And stealing, and committing adultery—have increased, And blood has touched against blood.

3 Therefore doth the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein doth languish, with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also are taken away.

Therefore the land mourns, And every dweller is weak in it, With the beast of the field, And with the bird of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea—they are removed.

4 Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And your people [are] as those striving with a priest.

5 Therefore shalt thou stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother.

And you have stumbled in the day, And a prophet has also stumbled with you in the night, And I have cut off your mother.

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also 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.

My people have been cut off for lack of knowledge, Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being priest to Me, And you forget the Law of your God—I forget your sons, I also!

7 The more they were increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.

According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, I change their glory into shame.

8 They feed on the sin of My people, and set their heart on their iniquity.

The sin of My people they eat, And to their iniquity lift up their soul.

9 And it is like people, like priest; and I will punish him for his ways, and will recompense him his doings.

And it has 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 harlotry, and shall not increase; because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.

And they have eaten, and are not satisfied, They have gone whoring, and do not increase, For they have left off taking heed to YHWH.

11 Harlotry, wine, and new wine take away the heart.

Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,

12 My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of harlotry hath caused them to err, and they have gone astray from under their God.

My people at its staff asks and its rod declares to it, For a spirit of whoredoms has caused to err, And they go whoring from under their God.

13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and offer upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because the shadow thereof is good; therefore your daughters commit harlotry, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

On tops of the mountains they sacrifice, And on the hills they make incense, Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, For good [is] its shade.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for they themselves consort with lewd women, and they sacrifice with harlots; and the people that is without understanding is distraught.

Therefore your daughters commit whoredom, 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 sacrifice, A people that does not understand kicks.

15 Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah become guilty; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear: 'As the LORD liveth.'

Though you [are] a harlot, O Israel, Do not let Judah become guilty, And do not come to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear, YHWH lives.

16 For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn heifer; now shall the LORD feed them as a lamb in a large place?

For Israel has turned aside as a stubborn heifer, Now YHWH feeds them as a lamb in a large place.

17 Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.

Ephraim is joined to idols, leave him alone.

18 When their carouse is over, they take to harlotry; her rulers deeply love dishonour.

Sour [is] their drink, They have gone whoring diligently, Her protectors have thoroughly loved shame.

19 The wind hath bound her up in her skirts; and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Wind has distressed her with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!”