< 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 sons of Israel! For Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; For 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.
Perjury, and falsehood, and murder, And theft, and adultery have broken forth, And blood reacheth to 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, Together with the beasts of the forest, and the birds of heaven; Yea, even 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 rebuke, and let no man reprove; For thy people are like those that contend 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 Fall by day, And the prophet shall fall 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 is destroyed for lack of knowledge; Since thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, so that thou shalt no more be my priest; Since 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 have become great, so have 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 feed upon the sins of my people, And incline their hearts to 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 with the people, so with the priest; I will punish them for their ways, And requite them for 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.
They shall eat and shall not be satisfied; They shall commit fornication, and shall not increase, For they have left off giving heed to Jehovah.
11 Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,
Fornication and wine and new wine take away the understanding;
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 stocks, And their staff revealeth to them. For the spirit of fornication causeth them to err; Yea, they commit fornication, forsaking 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.
On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice, And on the hills they burn incense, Under the oak, and the poplar, and the terebinth, Because their shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters commit fornication, 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 commit fornication, Nor your daughters-in-law, when they commit adultery; For ye yourselves go aside with harlots, And sacrifice with prostitutes; Therefore the people that hath not understanding 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 thou play the harlot, O Israel, Yet let not Judah offend! Come ye not to Gilgal, Neither go ye up to Bethaven. And swear ye not, saying, 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 like a refractory heifer is Israel become refractory, Therefore will Jehovah feed them, like a lamb in a wide 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.
When their carousal is over, They give themselves up to lasciviousness; Their rulers love shame.
19 Wind has distressed her with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!”
The wind hath bound them up with its wings, And they shall be brought to shame on account of their sacrifices.

< Hosea 4 >