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, 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.

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

There is false swearing, and lying, and murdering, and stealing, and committing adultery: they break the bounds, and blood toucheth on 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 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.

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, let no man reprove another: and thy people are contentious equally 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 shalt thou stumble in the daytime, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the 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; 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.

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

The more they increased, the more did they sin 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.

The sin-offering of my people do they eat, and for their iniquity doth the soul of each one of them long.

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.

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.

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 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].

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

Lewdness 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

For like an untamable cow is Israel disobedient: now would the Lord have fed them as a sheep in a wide pasture.

17 Ephraim is joined to idols, leave him alone.

Ephraim is bound to idols: let him alone.

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

Their drinking bout will come to an end: while they are so often guilty of lewdness, their rulers love, prepare themselves but shame.

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

The wind seizeth fast on them with its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.