Hosea 4
1 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.
Hear the Lord’s message, Israelites, for the Lord has brought charges against the inhabitants of the land, for there is no fidelity, nor true love, nor knowledge of God in the land,
2 Perjury, and falsehood, and murder, And theft, and adultery have broken forth, And blood reacheth to blood.
but cursing, lying, and murder, stealing, committing adultery, and deeds of violence, and acts of bloodshed quickly follow each other.
3 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.
Therefore the land mourns, all its inhabitants languish, the wild animals and the birds of the skies, even the fish of the sea are dying.
4 Yet let no man rebuke, and let no man reprove; For thy people are like those that contend with the priest,
Yet let no one bring charges, let none accuse, for your people are like those, who bring charges against a priest.
5 Therefore shalt thou Fall by day, And the prophet shall fall with thee by night, And I will destroy thy mother.
You stumble by day, and the prophet stumbles with you by night, and I will destroy your mother.
6 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.
My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge I reject you from being priest to me. Since you have forgotten the teaching of your God, I also will forget your children.
7 As they have become great, so have they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.
The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. I will change their dignity to dishonor.
8 They feed upon the sins of my people, And incline their hearts to their iniquity.
They feed on the sin offerings of my people, so they hunger after their guilt.
9 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.
Thus it comes to be, like people, like priest: I will visit upon each punishment for their ways, and their deeds I will repay them.
10 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.
They will eat and not be satisfied, they will sleep around but stay childless, because they have abandoned the Lord to give themselves to
11 Fornication and wine and new wine take away the understanding;
prostitution. Old and new wine take away the understanding.
12 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.
My own people ask counsel of a piece of wood! A stick gives them advice! For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray, they commit adultery against their God.
13 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;
On the heights of the mountains they sacrifice, and on the hills they burn incense under oaks and poplars and terebinths, for their shade is so pleasant. Therefore your daughters become cult prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14 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.
I will not punish your daughters for committing prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law for adultery. Your men visit prostitutes, sacrifice with cult prostitutes. So a people without understanding come to ruin!
15 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!
Though you commit adultery, Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, nor swear an oath, “As the Lord lives.”
16 For like a refractory heifer is Israel become refractory, Therefore will Jehovah feed them, like a lamb in a wide place.
Like a willful heifer, Israel is stubborn. Can the Lord now feed them as he would a lamb in a broad pasture?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone!
Ephraim is wedded to idols. Leave them alone!
18 When their carousal is over, They give themselves up to lasciviousness; Their rulers love shame.
When their drinking is over they sleep with the cult prostitutes, their rulers love shameful ways.
19 The wind hath bound them up with its wings, And they shall be brought to shame on account of their sacrifices.
A windstorm will wrap them in its wings and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.
