Hosea 4

1 Hear the word of YHWH, you children of Israel; for YHWH has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, 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 There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.

Perjury, and falsehood, and murder, And theft, and adultery have broken forth, And blood reacheth to blood.

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

Yet let no man rebuke, and let no man reprove; For thy people are like those that contend with the 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.

Therefore shalt thou Fall by day, And the prophet shall fall with thee by night, And I will destroy 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.

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

As they have become great, so have they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.

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

They feed upon the sins of my people, And incline their hearts to their iniquity.

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 shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; I will punish them for their ways, And requite them for their doings.

10 They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned giving 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 Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.

Fornication and wine and new wine take away the understanding;

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 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 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 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 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.

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, 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 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 behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will YHWH feed them like a lamb in a meadow.

For like a refractory heifer is Israel become refractory, Therefore will Jehovah feed them, like a lamb in a wide place.

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

Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone!

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

When their carousal is over, They give themselves up to lasciviousness; Their rulers love shame.

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

The wind hath bound them up with its wings, And they shall be brought to shame on account of their sacrifices.