| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has brought charges against you, saying: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. | 1Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites! For the LORD has a covenant lawsuit against the people of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God. |
| 2You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. | 2There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They resort to violence and bloodshed. |
| 3That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing. | 3Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish. |
| 4“Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you. | 4Do not let anyone accuse or contend against anyone else: for my case is against you priests! |
| 5So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother. | 5You stumble day and night, and the false prophets stumble with you; You have destroyed your own people! |
| 6My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. | 6You have destroyed my people by failing to acknowledge me! Because you refuse to acknowledge me, I will reject you as my priests. Because you reject the law of your God, I will reject your descendants. |
| 7The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. | 7The more the priests increased in numbers, the more they rebelled against me. They have turned their glorious calling into a shameful disgrace! |
| 8“When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! | 8They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity! |
| 9‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds. | 9I will deal with the people and priests together: I will punish them both for their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds. |
| 10They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the LORD | 10They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the LORD by pursuing other gods. |
| 11to worship other gods. “Wine has robbed my people of their understanding. | 11Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people. |
| 12They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. | 12They consult their wooden idols, and their diviner's staff answers with an oracle. The wind of prostitution blows them astray; they commit spiritual adultery against their God. |
| 13They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees. “That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. | 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and burn offerings on the hills; they sacrifice under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is so pleasant. As a result, your daughters have become cult prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery! |
| 14But why should I punish them for their prostitution and adultery? For your men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You refuse to understand, so you will be destroyed. | 14I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men consort with harlots, they sacrifice with temple prostitutes. It is true: "A people that lacks understanding will come to ruin!" |
| 15“Though you, Israel, are a prostitute, may Judah not be guilty of such things. Do not join the false worship at Gilgal or Beth-aven, and do not take oaths there in the LORD’s name. | 15Although you, O Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty! Do not journey to Gilgal! Do not go up to Beth Aven! Do not swear, "As surely as the LORD lives!" |
| 16Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the LORD feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture? | 16Israel has rebelled like a stubborn heifer! Soon the LORD will put them out to pasture like a lamb in a broad field! |
| 17Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry. | 17Ephraim has attached himself to idols; Do not go near him! |
| 18When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor. | 18They consume their alcohol, then engage in cult prostitution; they dearly love their shameful behavior. |
| 19So a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame. | 19A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship. |
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