Hosea 4

1 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 Curs, and leesyng, and manquelling, and thefte, and auowtrie flowiden, and blood touchide blood.

3 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 Netheles ech man deme not, and a man be not repreuyd; for thi puple is as thei that ayen seien the prest.

5 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 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 Bi the multitude of hem, so thei synneden ayens me. Y schal chaunge the glorie of hem in to schenschipe.

8 Thei schulen ete the synnes of my puple, and thei schulen reise the soulis of hem to the wickidnesse of hem.

9 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 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 Fornycacioun, and wiyn, and drunkenesse doen awei the herte.

12 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 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 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 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 as a wielde cow Israel bowide awei; now the Lord schal fede hem as a lomb in broodnesse.

17 Effraym is the partener of idols, leeue thou him;

18 the feeste of hem is departid. Bi fornicacioun thei diden fornicacioun, the defenders therof louyden to brynge schenschipe.

19 The spirit boond hym in hise wyngis, and thei schulen be schent of her sacrifices.