Hosea 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Hosea 4 ▼
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1 Hear 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. Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.
2 You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 That 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. Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.
4 “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you. Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. “But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.
5 So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother—
6 My 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. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
7 The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful.
8 “When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness.
9 ‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the LORD They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish “They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the LORD to give themselves
11 to worship other gods. “Wine has robbed my people of their understanding. whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding.
12 They 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. My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.
13 They 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. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
14 But 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. I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin. “I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes— a people without 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. Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and swear not, “As the LORD lives.” “Though you, Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty. “Do not go to Gilgal; do not go up to Beth Aven. And do not swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
16 Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the LORD feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture? Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture? The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow?
17 Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry. Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone. Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
18 When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor. When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame. Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19 So a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame. A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
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