Hosea 4
1 '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,
Heare the worde of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controuersie with the inhabitants of the lande, because there is no trueth nor mercie nor knowledge of God in the lande.
2 Swearing, and lying, and murdering, And stealing, and committing adultery — have increased, And blood against blood hath touched.
By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and whoring they breake out, and blood toucheth blood.
3 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.
Therefore shall the land mourne, and euery one that dwelleth therein, shall be cut off, with the beasts of the fielde, and with the foules of the heauen, and also the fishes of the sea shall be taken away.
4 Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And thy people [are] as those striving with a priest.
Yet let none rebuke, nor reproue another: for thy people are as they that rebuke the Priest.
5 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.
Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the Prophet shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.
6 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!
My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge: because thou hast refused knowledge, I will also refuse thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me: and seeing thou hast forgotten the Lawe of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
7 According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change.
As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I chaunge their glorie into shame.
8 The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.
They eate vp the sinnes of my people, and lift vp their mindes in their iniquitie.
9 And it hath been, like people, like priest, And I have charged on it its ways, And its habitual doings I return to it.
And there shalbe like people, like Priest: for I wil visite their wayes vpon them, and reward them their deedes.
10 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.
For they shall eate, and not haue ynough: they shall commit adulterie, and shall not increase, because they haue left off to take heede to ye Lord.
11 Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,
Whoredome, and wine, and newe wine take away their heart.
12 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.
My people aske counsell at their stockes, and their staffe teacheth them: for the spirite of fornications hath caused them to erre, and they haue gone a whoring from vnder their God.
13 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.
They sacrifice vpon the toppes of ye mountaines, and burne incense vpon the hilles vnder the okes, and the poplar tree, and the elme, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall be harlots, and your spouses shall be whores.
14 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.
I will not visite your daughters when they are harlots: nor your spouses when they are whores: for they themselues are separated with harlots, and sacrifice with whores: therefore the people that doeth not vnderstand, shall fall.
15 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.
Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Iudah sinne: come not ye vnto Gilgal, neither goe ye vp to Beth-auen, nor sweare, The Lord liueth.
16 For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.
For Israel is rebellious as an vnruly heyfer. Nowe the Lord will feede them as a lambe in a large place.
17 Joined to idols [is] Ephraim, let him alone.
Ephraim is ioyned to idoles: let him alone.
18 Sour [is] their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly.
Their drunkennes stinketh: they haue committed whoredome: their rulers loue to say with shame, Bring ye.
19 Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!
The winde hath bounde them vp in her wings, and they shalbe ashamed of their sacrifices.
