Hosea 4

1 Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel; for the LORD has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

'Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife [is] to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor knowledge of God, in the land,

2 There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.

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

3 Therefore the land mourns, and all those who dwell in it will waste away, along with the animals of the field and the crawling creatures of the earth and the birds of the sky, and even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

Therefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea — they are removed.

4 "Yet let no man bring a charge, neither let any man accuse; For your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.

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

5 You will stumble in the day, and the prophet will also stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.

And thou hast stumbled in the day, And stumbled hath also a prophet with thee in the night, And I have cut off thy mother.

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God's law, I will also forget your children.

Cut off have been My people for lack of knowledge, Because thou knowledge hast rejected, I reject thee from being priest to Me, And thou forgettest the law of thy God, I forget thy sons, I also!

7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me. They have exchanged their glory into shame.

According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change.

8 They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity.

The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.

9 It will be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will repay them for their deeds.

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

10 They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned giving to the LORD.

And they have eaten, and are not satisfied, They have gone a-whoring, and increase not, For they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.

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

12 My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God.

My people at its staff asketh and its rod declareth to it, For a spirit of whoredoms hath caused to err, And they go a-whoring from under their God.

13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and shady terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery.

On tops of the mountains they do sacrifice, And on the hills they make perfume, Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, For good [is] its shade.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, nor your brides when they commit adultery; because the men consort with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; so the people without understanding will come to ruin.

Therefore commit whoredom do your daughters, 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 do sacrifice, A people that doth not understand kicketh.

15 "Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, yet do not let Judah offend; and do not come to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth Aven, nor swear, 'As the LORD lives.'

Though a harlot thou [art], O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.

16 For Israel has behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will the LORD feed them like a lamb in a meadow.

For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.

17 Ephraim, joined to idols, has placed stumbling blocks against himself.

Joined to idols [is] Ephraim, let him alone.

18 Their drink has become sour. They play the prostitute continually. Her rulers dearly love their shameful way.

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

19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be disappointed because of their sacrifices.

Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!