Hosea 4
1 Hear the word of Yahweh, you people of Israel. Yahweh has a lawsuit against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truthfulness or covenantal faithfulness, no knowledge of God in the land.
Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord shall enter into judgment with the inhabitants of the land: for there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is cursing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery. The people have broken all bounds, and bloodshed comes after bloodshed.
Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.
3 So the land is drying up, and everyone living in it is wasting away; the beasts in the fields and the birds in the sky, even the fish in the sea, are being taken away.
Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the air: yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be gathered together.
4 But do not allow anyone to bring a lawsuit; do not let anyone accuse anyone else. For it is you, the priests, whom I am accusing.
But yet let not any man judge: and let not a man be rebuked: for thy people are as they that contradict the priest.
5 You priests will stumble during the day; the prophets will also stumble with you by night, and I will destroy your mother.
And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee: in the night I have made thy mother to be silent.
6 My people are being destroyed because of the lack of knowledge. Because you priests have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as priests to me. Because you have forgotten my law, although I am your God, I also will forget your children.
My people have been silent, because they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt not do the office of priesthood to me: and thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.
7 The more the priests multiplied, the more they sinned against me. They exchanged their honor for shame.
According to the multitude of them so have they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for more of their wickedness.
They shall eat the sins of my people, and shall lift up their souls to their iniquity.
9 It will be the same for the people as for the priests: I will punish them all for their practices; I will repay them for their deeds.
And there shall be like people like priest: and I will visit their ways upon them, and I will repay them their devices.
10 They will eat but not have enough; they will commit prostitution but not increase, because they have gone far away from Yahweh.
And they shall eat and shall not be filled: they have committed fornication, and have not ceased: because they have forsaken the Lord in not observing his law.
11 They love sexual promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which have taken away their understanding.
Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness take away the understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idols, and their walking sticks give them prophecies. For a mind of promiscuity has misled them, and they have acted as prostitutes instead of being faithful to their God.
My people have consulted their stocks, and their staff hath declared unto them: for the spirit of fornication hath deceived them, and they have committed fornication against their God.
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn incense on the hills, under oaks, poplars and terebinths, because the shade is good. So your daughters commit sexual immorality, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
They offered sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burnt incense upon the hills: under the oak, and the poplar, and the turpentine tree, because the shadow thereof was good: therefore shall your daughters commit fornication, and your spouses shall be adulteresses.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they choose to commit sexual immorality, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men also give themselves to the prostitutes, and they offer sacrifices so they can commit immoral acts with sacred prostitutes. So this people who does not understand will be thrown down.
I will not visit upon your daughters when they shell commit fornication, and upon your spouses when they shall commit adultery: because themselves conversed with harlots, and offered sacrifice with the effeminate, and the people that doth not understand shall be beaten.
15 Though you, Israel, have committed adultery, may Judah not become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal, you people; do not go up to Beth Aven, and do not swear, saying, “As Yahweh lives.”
If thou play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Juda offend: and go ye not into Galgal, and come not up into Bethaven, and do not swear: The Lord liveth.
16 For Israel has behaved stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. How can Yahweh bring them to pasture like lambs in a meadow?
For Israel hath gone astray like a wanton heifer: now will the Lord feed them, as a lamb in a spacious place.
17 Ephraim united himself with idols; leave him alone.
Ephraim is a partaker with idols, let him alone.
18 Even when their strong drink is gone, they continue to commit adultery; her rulers dearly love their shame.
Their banquet is separated, they have gone astray by fornication: they that should have protected them have loved to bring shame upon them.
19 The wind will wrap her up in its wings; and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
The wind hath bound them up in its wings, and they shall be confounded because of their sacrifices.
