Hosea 4
1 Hear Yahweh’s word, you children of Israel, for Yahweh has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
Sones of Israel, here ye the word of the Lord, for whi doom is to the Lord with the dwelleris of erthe; for whi trewthe is not, and merci is not, and kunnyng of the Lord is not in erthe.
2 There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.
Curs, and leesyng, and manquelling, and thefte, and auowtrie flowiden, and blood touchide blood.
3 Therefore the land will mourn, and everyone who dwells in it will waste away, with all living things in her, even the animals of the field and the birds of the sky; yes, the fish of the sea also die.
For this thing the erthe schal mourne, and ech that dwellith in that lond, schal be sijk, in the beeste of the feeld, and in the brid of the eir; but also the fischis of the see schulen be gaderid togidere.
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.
Netheles ech man deme not, and a man be not repreuyd; for thi puple is as thei that ayen seien the prest.
5 You will stumble in the day, and the prophet will also stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.
And thou schalt falle to dai, and the profete also schal falle with thee; in the niyt Y made thi modir to be stille.
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 puple was stille, for it hadde not kunnyng; for thou hast putte awei kunnyng, Y schal putte thee awei, that thou vse not presthod to me; and for thou hast foryete the lawe of thi God, also Y schal foryete thi sones.
7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me. I will change their glory into shame.
Bi the multitude of hem, so thei synneden ayens me. Y schal chaunge the glorie of hem in to schenschipe.
8 They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity.
Thei schulen ete the synnes of my puple, and thei schulen reise the soulis of hem to the wickidnesse of hem.
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 schal be, as the puple so the prest; and Y schal visite on hym the weies of hym, and Y schal yelde to him the thouytis of hym.
10 They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned listening to Yahweh.
And thei schulen ete, and thei schulen not be fillid; thei diden fornicacioun, and ceessiden not, for thei forsoken the Lord in not kepynge.
11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
Fornycacioun, and wiyn, and drunkenesse doen awei the herte.
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 puple axide in his tre, and the staf therof telde to it; for the spirit of fornicacioun disseyuede hem, and thei diden fornicacioun fro her God.
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery.
On the heedis of mounteyns thei maden sacrifice, and on the litil hillis thei brenten encense vndur an ook, and a popeler, and terebynte, for the schadewe therof was good. Therfor youre douytris schulen do fornicacioun, and youre wyues schulen be auoutressis.
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.
Y schal not visite on youre douytris, whanne thei don fornicacioun, and on youre wyues, whanne thei doon auowtrie; for thei lyuyden with hooris, and maden sacrifice with men turned in to wymmens condiciouns. And the puple that vndirstondith not, schal be betun.
15 “Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, yet don’t let Judah offend; and don’t come to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth Aven, nor swear, ‘As Yahweh lives.’
If thou, Israel, doist fornicacioun, nameli Juda trespasse not; and nyle ye entre in to Galgala, and stie ye not in to Bethauen, nether swere ye, The Lord lyueth.
16 For Israel has behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will Yahweh feed them like a lamb in a meadow?
For as a wielde cow Israel bowide awei; now the Lord schal fede hem as a lomb in broodnesse.
17 Ephraim is joined to idols. Leave him alone!
Effraym is the partener of idols, leeue thou him;
18 Their drink has become sour. They play the prostitute continually. Her rulers dearly love their shameful way.
the feeste of hem is departid. Bi fornicacioun thei diden fornicacioun, the defenders therof louyden to brynge schenschipe.
19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be disappointed because of their sacrifices.
The spirit boond hym in hise wyngis, and thei schulen be schent of her sacrifices.
