Osee 4

1 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.

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

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

There is nought but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

3 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:

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

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

Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

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

And thou shalt stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother.

6 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.

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 also will forget thy children.

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

As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.

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

They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity.

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

And it shall be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will requite them their doings.

10 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.

And they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall play the harlot, and shall not increase; because they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

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

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding.

12 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.

My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredom hath caused them to err, and they have played the harlot, [departing] from under their God.

13 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.

They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters play the harlot, and your brides commit adultery.

14 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.

I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for [the men] themselves go apart with harlots, and they sacrifice with the prostitutes; and the people that doth not understand shall be overthrown.

15 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.

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, As Jehovah liveth.

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

For Israel hath behaved himself stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer: now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.

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

Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.

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

Their drink is become sour; they play the harlot continually; her rulers dearly love shame.

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

The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be put to shame because of their sacrifices.