Hosea 4

1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because [there is] no truth, nor mercy, 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 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

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

3 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 heaven; yes, the fishes of the sea also shall 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 contend, nor reprove another: for thy people [are] as they that contend with the priest.

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

5 Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy 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 thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy 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 increased, so they sinned against me: [therefore] will I change their glory into shame.

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

8 They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.

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

9 And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

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 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall be guilty of lewdness, and shall not increase: because they have ceased to take heed 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 Lewdness and wine and new wine take away the heart.

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

12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth to them: for the spirit of lewdness hath caused [them] to err, and they have gone astray from under 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 upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shade of them is agreeable: therefore your daughters shall be guilty of lewdness, and your spouses shall 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 are guilty of lewdness, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for they themselves are separated with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people [that] doth not understand shall fall.

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 thou, Israel, playest the harlot, [yet] let not Judah offend; and come not ye to Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.

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 slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

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

17 Ephraim [is] joined to idols: let him alone.

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

18 Their drink is sour: they have been guilty of lewd deeds continually: her rulers [with] shame do love, Give ye.

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

19 The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

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