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.

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

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

Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, — they break out; and blood toucheth 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.

For this shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

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

Yet let no man strive, and let no man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

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.

And thou shalt stumble by day; and the prophet also shall stumble with thee by night: and I will destroy thy mother.

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.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; for thou hast rejected knowledge, and I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

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

As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.

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

They eat the sin of my people, and their soul longeth for their iniquity.

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.

And it shall be as the people so the priest; and I will visit their ways upon them, and recompense to them their doings;

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.

and they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: for they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

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

Fornication, and wine, and new wine take away the heart.

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.

My people ask counsel of their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredoms causeth [them] to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their 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.

they sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because the shade thereof is good; therefore your daughters play the harlot and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

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.

I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your daughters-in-law for their committing adultery; for they themselves go aside with harlots, and they sacrifice with prostitutes: and the people that doth not understand shall come to ruin.

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.

Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah trespass; and come ye not unto Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear [As] Jehovah liveth!

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

For Israel is refractory as an untractable heifer; now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide [pasture].

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

— Ephraim is joined to idols: leave him alone.

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

Their drink is sour; they give themselves up to whoredom; her great men passionately love [their] shame.

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

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