Hosea 4

1 Give ear to the word of the Lord, O children of Israel; for the Lord has a cause against the people of this land, because there is no good faith in it, and no mercy and no knowledge of God in the land.

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 There is cursing and broken faith, violent death and attacks on property, men are untrue in married life, houses are broken into, and there is blood touching blood.

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

3 Because of this the land will be dry, and everyone living in it will be wasted away, with the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven; even the fishes of the sea will be taken away.

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 Let no man go to law or make protests, for your people are like those who go to law with a priest.

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

5 You will not be able to keep on your feet by day, and by night the prophet will be falling down with you, and I will give your mother to destruction.

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

6 Destruction has overtaken my people because they have no knowledge; because you have given up knowledge, I will give you up, so that you will be no priest to me, because you have not kept in mind the law of your God, I will not keep your children in my memory.

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 Even while they were increasing in number they were sinning against me; I will let their glory be changed into shame.

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

8 The sin of my people is like food to them; and their desire is for their wrongdoing.

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

9 And the priest will be like the people; I will give them punishment for their evil ways, and the reward of their acts.

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 They will have food, but they will not be full; they will be false to me, but they will not be increased, because they no longer give thought to the Lord.

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 Loose ways and new wine take away wisdom.

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

12 My people get knowledge from their tree, and their rod gives them news; for a false spirit is the cause of their wandering, and they have been false to their God.

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 They make offerings on the tops of mountains, burning perfumes in high places, under trees of every sort, because their shade is good: and so your daughters are given up to loose ways and your brides are false to their husbands.

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 I will not give punishment to your daughters or your brides for their evil behaviour; for they make themselves separate with loose women, and make offerings with those who are used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods: the people who have no wisdom will be sent away.

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 Do not you, O Israel, come into error; do not you, O Judah, come to Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven, or take an oath, By the living Lord.

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 For Israel is uncontrolled, like a cow which may not be controlled; now will the Lord give them food like a lamb in a wide place.

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

17 Ephraim is joined to false gods; let him be.

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

18 Their drink has become bitter; they are completely false; her rulers take pleasure in shame.

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

19 They are folded in the skirts of the wind; they will be shamed because of their offerings.

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