Hosea 4

1 “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;

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

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

Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, — they break out; and blood toucheth blood.

3 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.

For this shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

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

Yet let no man strive, and let no man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

5 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.

And thou shalt stumble by day; and the prophet also shall stumble with thee by night: and I will destroy thy mother.

6 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!

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

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

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

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

They eat the sin of my people, and their soul longeth for their iniquity.

9 And it has been, like people, like priest, And I have charged on it its ways, And its habitual doings I return to it.

And it shall be as the people so the priest; and I will visit their ways upon them, and recompense to them their doings;

10 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.

and they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: for they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

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

Fornication, and wine, and new wine take away the heart.

12 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.

My people ask counsel of their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredoms causeth [them] to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God:

13 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.

they sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because the shade thereof is good; therefore your daughters play the harlot and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

14 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.

I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your daughters-in-law for their committing adultery; for they themselves go aside with harlots, and they sacrifice with prostitutes: and the people that doth not understand shall come to ruin.

15 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.

Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah trespass; and come ye not unto Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear [As] Jehovah liveth!

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

For Israel is refractory as an untractable heifer; now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide [pasture].

17 Ephraim is joined to idols, leave him alone.

— Ephraim is joined to idols: leave him alone.

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

Their drink is sour; they give themselves up to whoredom; her great men passionately love [their] shame.

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

The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.