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 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, killing, stealing and adultery. The people have broken all bounds, and bloodshed comes after bloodshed.
Perjury, and falsehood, and murder, And theft, and adultery have broken forth, And blood reacheth to 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 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 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.
Yet let no man rebuke, and let no man reprove; For thy people are like those that contend with 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.
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 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 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 The more the priests multiplied, the more they sinned against me. They exchanged their honor for 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; they are greedy for more of their wickedness.
They feed upon the sins of my people, And incline their hearts 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 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 but not have enough; they will commit prostitution but not increase, because they have gone far away from Yahweh.
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 They love sexual promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which have taken away their understanding.
Fornication and wine and new wine 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 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, poplars and terebinths, because the shade is good. So your daughters commit sexual immorality, and your daughters-in-law 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 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 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, 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.”
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 stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. How can Yahweh bring them to pasture like lambs 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 united himself with idols; leave him alone.
Ephraim is joined to idols; Let him alone!
18 Even when their strong drink is gone, they continue to commit adultery; her rulers dearly love their shame.
When their carousal is over, They give themselves up to lasciviousness; Their rulers love shame.
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 with its wings, And they shall be brought to shame on account of their sacrifices.
