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, ye sons of Israel! For Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; For 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.
Perjury, and falsehood, and murder, And theft, and adultery have broken forth, And blood reacheth to 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, Together with the beasts of the forest, and the birds of heaven; Yea, even the fishes of the sea shall perish.
4 Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And thy people [are] as those striving with a priest.
Yet let no man rebuke, and let no man reprove; For thy people are like those that contend 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 by day, And the prophet shall fall with thee by 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 is destroyed for lack of knowledge; Since thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, so that thou shalt no more be my priest; Since thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.
7 According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change.
As they have become great, so have they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.
8 The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.
They feed upon the sins of my people, And incline their hearts to 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 it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; I will punish them for their ways, And requite them for 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.
They shall eat and shall not be satisfied; They shall commit fornication, and shall not increase, For they have left off giving heed to Jehovah.
11 Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,
Fornication and wine and new wine take away the 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 ask counsel of their stocks, And their staff revealeth to them. For the spirit of fornication causeth them to err; Yea, they commit fornication, forsaking 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.
On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice, And on the hills they burn incense, Under the oak, and the poplar, and the terebinth, Because their shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters commit fornication, And your daughters-in-law 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 fornication, Nor your daughters-in-law, when they commit adultery; For ye yourselves go aside with harlots, And sacrifice with prostitutes; Therefore the people that hath not understanding 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 play the harlot, O Israel, Yet let not Judah offend! Come ye not to Gilgal, Neither go ye up to Bethaven. And swear ye not, saying, As Jehovah liveth!
16 For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.
For like a refractory heifer is Israel become refractory, Therefore will Jehovah feed them, like a lamb in a wide 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.
When their carousal is over, They give themselves up to lasciviousness; Their rulers love shame.
19 Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!
The wind hath bound them up with its wings, And they shall be brought to shame on account of their sacrifices.
