Hosea 4

1 O Israelviwo, mise Yehowa ƒe nyawo. Yehowa saba mi, eye nya siwo wòtsɔ ɖe mia ŋuti la woe nye esiawo: Nuteƒewɔwɔ, lɔlɔ̃ kple sidzedze Mawu megale anyigba blibo la dzi o.

Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord [has] a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

2 Mietaa nu, hedaa alakpa, wua ame, fia fi, eye miewɔa ahasi kpena ɖe eŋu. Ʋunyaʋunya kple amewuwu bɔ ɖe afi sia afi.

Cursing, and lying, and murder, and theft, and adultery abound in the land, and they mingle blood with blood.

3 Esiawo tae miaƒe anyigba megale nuku wɔm o ɖo, anyigba la dzi yɔ fũu kple nuxaxa, nu gbagbe ɖe sia ɖe le dɔ lém, eye ɖewo le kukum; lãwo, dziƒoxeviwo kple tɔmelãwo gɔ̃ hã le tsɔtsrɔ̃m.

Therefore shall the land mourn, and shall be diminished with all that dwell in it, with the wild beasts of the field, and the reptiles of the earth, and with the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea shall fail:

4 “Ame aɖeke megatsɔ nya ɖe nɔvia ŋu alo aka mo nɛ o, elabena wò dukɔ la le abe ame siwo le dzre wɔm kple nunɔlawo ene.

that neither any one may plead, nor any one reprove [another]; but my people are as a priest spoken against.

5 Eya ta mi kple míaƒe nyagblɔɖilawo miakli nu adze anyi le ŋdɔkutsu kple zã siaa, eye matsrɔ̃ mia dada Israel akpe ɖe mia ŋu.

Therefore they shall fall by day, and the prophet with thee shall fall: I have compared thy mother unto night.

6 Le simadzemadze ta nye amewo le tsɔtsrɔ̃m, esi mi, nunɔlawo, miedo vlo sidzedze ta la, nye hã megbe be miaganye nye nunɔlawo o, eye esi mieŋlɔ miaƒe Mawu ƒe sewo be ta la, nye hã maŋlɔ mia viwo be.

My people are like as if they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt not minister as priest to me: and [as] thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

7 Zi ale si nunɔlawo le agbɔ sɔm ɖe edzi la, zi nenema kee wole nu vɔ̃ wɔm ɖe ŋutinye, eya ta matrɔ woƒe ŋutikɔkɔe wòazu ŋukpe na wo.

According to their multitude, so they sinned against me: I will turn their glory into shame.

8 Nunɔlawo hã kpɔa dzidzɔ le ameawo ƒe nu vɔ̃ ŋu, eye woɖunɛ abe nuɖuɖu ene,

They will devour the sins of my people, and will set their hearts on their iniquities.

9 eya ta ale wòle: Nunɔlawo kple ameawo katã sɔ, elabena nunɔlaawo vɔ̃ɖi, eye ameawo hã vɔ̃ɖi. Esia ta, mahe to na nunɔlaawo kple ameawo siaa le woƒe nu vɔ̃ɖiwo ta.

And the priest shall be as the people: and I will avenge on them their ways, and I will recompense to them their counsels.

10 “Woaɖu nu, ke womaɖi ƒo o. Woawɔ gbolo, gake womadzi ɖe edzi o, elabena wogbe nu le Yehowa gbɔ,

And they shall eat, and shall not be satisfied: they have gone a-whoring, and shall by no means prosper: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

11 eye wotsɔ wo ɖokuiwo na gbolowɔwɔ, wain, kple aha yeye, eye nu siawo na nye dukɔ zu bometsilawo.

The heart of my people has gladly engaged in fornication and wine and strong drink.

12 Elabena wole gbe biam ati si nye nu dzodzro la be negblɔ nu si yewoawɔ la na yewo. Atizɔtie wodana ɖi be negblɔ nyateƒe la na yewo. Ale voduwo yometiti vivivo wɔ wo movitɔwoe, elabena wowɔ ahasi, gbe nu le woƒe Mawu gbɔ hedze mawu bubuwo yome.

They asked counsel by [means of] signs, and they reported answer to them by their staves: they have gone astray in a spirit of whoredom, and gone grievously a-whoring from their God.

13 Wosaa vɔ le towo tame, eye wodoa dzudzɔ le togbɛwo dzi, le ati gãwo ƒe vɔvɔli fafɛ te. Afi siae viwò nyɔnuwo wɔa gbolo le, eye wò toyɔvi nyɔnuwo wɔa ahasi le.

They have sacrificed on the tops of the mountains, and on the hills they have sacrificed under the oak and poplar, and under the shady tree, because the shade was good: therefore your daughters shall go a-whoring, and your daughters-in-law shall commit adultery.

14 “Nu ka ta nyemahe to na wo ne wole ahasi wɔm o? Elabena ŋutsuwo ŋutɔ hã dɔna kple gbolowo, eye wosaa vɔ kple gbolowo. Ale ame siwo nye bometsilawo la atsrɔ̃.

And I will not visit upon your daughters when they shall commit fornication, nor your daughters-in-law when they shall commit adultery: for they themselves mingled themselves with harlots, and sacrificed with polluted ones, and the people that understood not entangled itself with a harlot.

15 “Togbɔ be Israel le gbolo wɔm hã la, esia wɔwɔ nete ɖa xaa tso Yuda gbɔ. “Mègayi Gilgal o, eye mègayi Bet Aven o. Mègaka atam agblɔ be, ‘Meta Yehowa ƒe agbe’ o.

But thou, O Israel, be not ignorant, and go ye not, [men of] Juda, to Galgala; and go not up to the house of On, and swear not by the living Lord.

16 Mèganɔ abe Israel ene o, wole abe nyitsu dzeaglã ene ɖe Yehowa ŋu, ɖe Yehowa ate ŋu akplɔ wo yi gbe damawo dzi abe alẽvi enea?

For Israel was maddened like a mad heifer: now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a wide place.

17 Mègate ɖe Efraim ŋu kura o, elabena edo ka kple legbawo.

Ephraim, joined with idols, has laid stumbling-blocks in his own way.

18 Ne Israel ŋutsuwo no aha tsu vɔ la, ekema woyia gbolowo gbɔ. Woƒe kplɔlawo lɔ̃a ŋukpenanuwo wɔwɔ,

He has chosen the Chananites: they have grievously gone a-whoring: they have loved dishonour through her insolence.

19 eya ta ya sesẽ aɖe ava ƒo wo adzoe, eye woƒe vɔsawo ahe ŋukpe vɛ na wo.

Thou art a blast of wind in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their altars.