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 Jehovah, you children of Israel; for Jehovah has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, 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.
There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.
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 the land mourns, and all those who dwell in it will waste away, along with the animals of the field and the crawling creatures of the earth and the birds of the sky, and even the fish of the sea will 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 bring a charge, neither let any man accuse; For your people are like those who bring charges against a 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.
You will stumble in the day, and the prophet will also stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your 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 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.
7 According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change.
As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me. They have exchanged their glory into shame.
8 The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.
They feed on the sin of my people, and 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.
It will be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will repay them for their deeds.
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.
They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned giving to Jehovah.
11 Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,
Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
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 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.
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 on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and shady terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides 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 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.
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 you, Israel, play the prostitute, yet do not let Judah offend; and do not come to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth Aven, nor swear, 'As Jehovah lives.'
16 For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.
For Israel has behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will Jehovah feed them like a lamb in a meadow.
17 Joined to idols [is] Ephraim, let him alone.
Ephraim, joined to idols, has placed stumbling blocks against himself.
18 Sour [is] their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly.
Their drink has become sour. They play the prostitute continually. Her rulers dearly love their shameful way.
19 Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!
The wind has wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be disappointed because of their sacrifices.
