هُوشَع 4

١ 1 اِسْمَعُوا قَوْلَ ٱلرَّبِّ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ: «إِنَّ لِلرَّبِّ مُحَاكَمَةً مَعَ سُكَّانِ ٱلْأَرْضِ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا أَمَانَةَ وَلَا إِحْسَانَ وَلَا مَعْرِفَةَ ٱللهِ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ.

Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has an accusation against the inhabitants of the land! “There is no faithfulness, no loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land.

٢ 2 لَعْنٌ وَكَذِبٌ وَقَتْلٌ وَسِرْقَةٌ وَفِسْقٌ. يَعْتَنِفُونَ، وَدِمَاءٌ تَلْحَقُ دِمَاءً.

Instead there is only cursing, lying, murdering, stealing, and adultery. They commit violence, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

٣ 3 لِذَلِكَ تَنُوحُ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَيَذْبُلُ كُلُّ مَنْ يَسْكُنُ فِيهَا مَعَ حَيَوَانِ ٱلْبَرِّيَّةِ وَطُيُورِ ٱلسَّمَاءِ، وَأَسْمَاكِ ٱلْبَحْرِ أَيْضًا تَنْتَزِعُ.

As a result the land dries up, and everyone who lives there is wasting away, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea—they are all dying.

٤ 4 «وَلَكِنْ لَا يُحَاكِمْ أَحَدٌ وَلَا يُعَاتِبْ أَحَدٌ. وَشَعْبُكَ كَمَنْ يُخَاصِمُ كَاهِنًا.

But no one should accuse or blame anyone else. My quarrel is with you the priests—you are the ones responsible.

٥ 5 فَتَتَعَثَّرُ فِي ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيَتَعَثَّرُ أَيْضًا ٱلنَّبِيُّ مَعَكَ فِي ٱللَّيْلِ، وَأَنَا أُخْرِبُ أُمَّكَ.

Consequently you will stumble in daylight, and the prophet will stumble together with you in the night, and I will destroy your mother.

٦ 6 قَدْ هَلَكَ شَعْبِي مِنْ عَدَمِ ٱلْمَعْرِفَةِ. لِأَنَّكَ أَنْتَ رَفَضْتَ ٱلْمَعْرِفَةَ أَرْفُضُكَ أَنَا حَتَّى لَا تَكْهَنَ لِي. وَلِأَنَّكَ نَسِيتَ شَرِيعَةَ إِلَهِكَ أَنْسَى أَنَا أَيْضًا بَنِيكَ.

My people are dying because they don't know me. Because you have refused to know me, I refuse to accept you as my priests. You have forgotten my teachings, so I will forget your children.

٧ 7 عَلَى حَسْبَمَا كَثُرُوا، هَكَذَا أَخْطَأُوا إِلَيَّ، فَأُبْدِلُ كَرَامَتَهُمْ بِهَوَانٍ.

The more there were of them, the more they sinned against me, so I will change their glory into shame.

٨ 8 يَأْكُلُونَ خَطِيَّةَ شَعْبِي وَإِلَى إِثْمِهِمْ يَحْمِلُونَ نُفُوسَهُمْ.

They feed on the sin of my people, greedy for their iniquity.

٩ 9 فَيَكُونُ كَمَا ٱلشَّعْبُ هَكَذَا ٱلْكَاهِنُ. وَأُعَاقِبُهُمْ عَلَى طُرُقِهِمْ وَأَرُدُّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ.

So it will be for the people like the priests: I will punish them for what they have done, repaying them for their actions.

١٠ 10 فَيَأْكُلُونَ وَلَا يَشْبَعُونَ، وَيَزْنُونَ وَلَا يَكْثُرُونَ، لِأَنَّهُمْ قَدْ تَرَكُوا عِبَادَةَ ٱلرَّبِّ.

They will eat, but they will not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but they will not prosper because they have given up on the Lord to go and prostitute themselves to other gods.

١١ 11 «اَلزِّنَى وَٱلْخَمْرُ وَٱلسُّلَافَةُ تَخْلِبُ ٱلْقَلْبَ.

They destroy their minds with old wine and new wine.

١٢ 12 شَعْبِي يَسْأَلُ خَشَبَهُ، وَعَصَاهُ تُخْبِرُهُ، لِأَنَّ رُوحَ ٱلزِّنَى قَدْ أَضَلَّهُمْ فَزَنَوْا مِنْ تَحْتِ إِلَهِهِمْ.

My people consult their wooden idols and their divining rods give them answers, for a spirit of prostitution makes them go astray. Prostituting themselves, they have deserted their God.

١٣ 13 يَذْبَحُونَ عَلَى رُؤُوسِ ٱلْجِبَالِ، وَيُبَخِّرُونَ عَلَى ٱلتِّلَالِ تَحْتَ ٱلْبَلُّوطِ وَٱللُّبْنَى وَٱلْبُطْمِ لِأَنَّ ظِلَّهَا حَسَنٌ! لِذَلِكَ تَزْنِي بَنَاتُكُمْ وَتَفْسِقُ كَنَّاتُكُمْ.

They offer sacrifices on the tops of mountains; they burn incense in the hills under the oak, poplar, and terebinth trees where the shade is pleasant. That's the reason why your daughters practice prostitution and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

١٤ 14 لَا أُعَاقِبُ بَنَاتِكُمْ لِأَنَّهُنَّ يَزْنِينَ، وَلَا كَنَّاتِكُمْ لِأَنَّهُنَّ يَفْسِقْنَ. لِأَنَّهُمْ يَعْتَزِلُونَ مَعَ ٱلزَّانِيَاتِ وَيَذْبَحُونَ مَعَ ٱلنَّاذِرَاتِ ٱلزِّنَى. وَشَعْبٌ لَا يَعْقِلُ يُصْرَعُ.

I will not punish your daughters when they practice prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because you men visit whores and sacrifice with temple prostitutes. A people who lack understanding end up in disaster.

١٥ 15 «إِنْ كُنْتَ أَنْتَ زَانِيًا يَا إِسْرَائِيلُ فَلَا يَأْثَمُ يَهُوذَا. وَلَا تَأْتُوا إِلَى ٱلْجِلْجَالِ وَلَا تَصْعَدُوا إِلَى بَيْتِ آوَنَ وَلَا تَحْلِفُوا: حَيٌّ هُوَ ٱلرَّبُّ.

Though you, Israel, have become a prostitute, may Judah not offend in the same way and not enter Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, nor swear saying, ‘the Lord lives.’

١٦ 16 إِنَّهُ قَدْ جَمَحَ إِسْرَائِيلُ كَبَقَرَةٍ جَامِحَةٍ. اَلْآنَ يَرْعَاهُمُ ٱلرَّبُّ كَخَرُوفٍ فِي مَكَانٍ وَاسِعٍ.

For Israel is as stubborn as a stubborn cow. Should the Lord then take care of them like a lamb in a wide pasture?

١٧ 17 أَفْرَايِمُ مُوثَقٌ بِٱلْأَصْنَامِ. ٱتْرُكُوهُ.

Ephraim is bewitched by idols, so leave him alone!

١٨ 18 مَتَى ٱنْتَهَتْ مُنَادَمَتُهُمْ زَنَوْا زِنًى. أَحَبَّ مَجَانُّهَا، أَحَبُّوا ٱلْهَوَانَ.

Once the leaders finish drinking, they go off and find prostitutes to sleep with. They love their shameful acts more than honor.

١٩ 19 قَدْ صَرَّتْهَا ٱلرِّيحُ فِي أَجْنِحَتِهَا، وَخَجِلُوا مِنْ ذَبَائِحِهِمْ.

A wind will carry them away; they will be ashamed of their pagan worship.