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 kindness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
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.
2 There is false swearing, and lying, and murdering, and stealing, and committing adultery: they break the bounds, and blood toucheth on blood.
Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.
3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the heaven; yea, also the fishes of the sea shall perish.
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.
4 Yet let no man strive, let no man reprove another: and thy people are contentious equally with the priest.
But yet let not any man judge: and let not a man be rebuked: for thy people are as they that contradict the priest.
5 Therefore shalt thou stumble in the daytime, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother.
And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee: in the night I have made thy mother to be silent.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, so will I also reject thee, that thou shalt not be a priest to me; and as thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, so will I myself also forget thy children.
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.
7 The more they increased, the more did they sin against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.
According to the multitude of them so have they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.
8 The sin-offering of my people do they eat, and for their iniquity doth the soul of each one of them long.
They shall eat the sins of my people, and shall lift up their souls to their iniquity.
9 Therefore shall the same befall both people and priest: and I will punish every one of them for his ways, and recompense every one for his doings.
And there shall be like people like priest: and I will visit their ways upon them, and I will repay them their devices.
10 And they will eat, and shall not be satisfied; they will commit lewdness, and they shall not increase; because the Lord have they forsaken [not] keeping [his law].
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.
11 Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart.
Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness take away the understanding.
12 My people ask counsel of their stick of wood, and their staff shall tell them [the future]: for the spirit of lewdness hath caused them to err, and they are gone astray unfaithful to their God.
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.
13 Upon the tops of the mountains do they sacrifice, and upon the hills burn they incense, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because their shadow is good: therefore will your daughters play the harlot, and your daughter-in-law will commit adultery.
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.
14 I cannot inflict punishment on your daughters when they play the harlot, nor on your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for they themselves associate with lewd women, and with harlots do they sacrifice: and so doth the people that doth not understand stumble.
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.
15 Yet though thou play the harlot, O Israel, let not Judah offend: and come not ye unto Gilgal, nor go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As the Lord liveth.
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.
16 For like an untamable cow is Israel disobedient: now would the Lord have fed them as a sheep in a wide pasture.
For Israel hath gone astray like a wanton heifer: now will the Lord feed them, as a lamb in a spacious place.
17 Ephraim is bound to idols: let him alone.
Ephraim is a partaker with idols, let him alone.
18 Their drinking bout will come to an end: while they are so often guilty of lewdness, their rulers love, prepare themselves but shame.
Their banquet is separated, they have gone astray by fornication: they that should have protected them have loved to bring shame upon them.
19 The wind seizeth fast on them with its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
The wind hath bound them up in its wings, and they shall be confounded because of their sacrifices.
