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

By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touches 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.

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; 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, nor reprove another: for your 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.

Therefore shall you fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with you in the night, and I will destroy your 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: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

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

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

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

They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on 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 there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward 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.

For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.

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

Whoredom 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 at their stocks, and their staff declares unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to go astray, 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 oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall 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 commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that does not understand shall fall.

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 you, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not all of you unto Gilgal, neither go all of you up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD lives.

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

For Israel slides back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

17 Ephraim is joined to idols, leave him alone.

Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

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

Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give all of you.

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

The wind has bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.