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,

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.

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 committing adultery, they break 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 mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also 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 no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people [are] as they that strive with 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 also 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 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.

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 change their glory into shame.

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

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

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

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 eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD.

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

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the 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 ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused [them] to err, and they have gone a whoring from under 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 upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof [is] good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.

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 punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people [that] doth not understand 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 Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.

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

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

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

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

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

Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers [with] shame do love, Give ye.

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

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