Hosea 4

1 Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel; for the LORD has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: "Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord shall enter into judgment with the inhabitants of the land: for there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land.

2 There is cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break boundaries, and bloodshed causes bloodshed.

Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.

3 Therefore the land mourns, and all those who dwell in it will waste away, along with the animals of the field and the crawling creatures of the earth and the birds of the sky, and even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth in it shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the air: yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be gathered together.

4 "Yet let no man bring a charge, neither let any man accuse; For your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.

But yet let not any man judge: and let not a man be rebuked: for thy people are as they that contradict the priest.

5 You will stumble in the day, and the prophet will also stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.

And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee: in the night I have made thy mother to be silent.

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God's law, I will also forget your children.

My people have been silent, because they had no knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will reject thee, that thou shalt not do the office of priesthood to me: and thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me. They have exchanged their glory into shame.

According to the multitude of them so have they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.

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

They shall eat the sins of my people, and shall lift up their souls to their iniquity.

9 It will be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will repay them for their deeds.

And there shall be like people like priest: and I will visit their ways upon them, and I will repay them their devices.

10 They will eat, and not have enough. They will play the prostitute, and will not increase; because they have abandoned giving to the LORD.

And they shall eat and shall not be filled: they have committed fornication, and have not ceased: because they have forsaken the Lord in not observing his law.

11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.

Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness take away the understanding.

12 My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God.

My people have consulted their stocks, and their staff hath declared unto them: for the spirit of fornication hath deceived them, and they have committed fornication against their God.

13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and shady terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery.

They offered sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burnt incense upon the hills: under the oak, and the poplar, and the turpentine tree, because the shadow thereof was good: therefore shall your daughters commit fornication, and your spouses shall be adulteresses.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, nor your brides when they commit adultery; because the men consort with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; so the people without understanding will come to ruin.

I will not visit upon your daughters when they shell commit fornication, and upon your spouses when they shall commit adultery: because themselves conversed with harlots, and offered sacrifice with the effeminate, and the people that doth not understand shall be beaten.

15 "Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, yet do not let Judah offend; and do not come to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth Aven, nor swear, 'As the LORD lives.'

If thou play the harlot, O Israel, at least let not Juda offend: and go ye not into Galgal, and come not up into Bethaven, and do not swear: The Lord liveth.

16 For Israel has behaved extremely stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. Then how will the LORD feed them like a lamb in a meadow.

For Israel hath gone astray like a wanton heifer: now will the Lord feed them, as a lamb in a spacious place.

17 Ephraim, joined to idols, has placed stumbling blocks against himself.

Ephraim is a partaker with idols, let him alone.

18 Their drink has become sour. They play the prostitute continually. Her rulers dearly love their shameful way.

Their banquet is separated, they have gone astray by fornication: they that should have protected them have loved to bring shame upon them.

19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings; and they shall be disappointed because of their sacrifices.

The wind hath bound them up in its wings, and they shall be confounded because of their sacrifices.