Hosea 4:1-13 ▼

1 “Hear a word of YHWH, sons of Israel, || For a strife [is] to YHWH with inhabitants of the land, || For there is no truth, nor kindness, || Nor knowledge of God in the land;

2 Swearing, and lying, and murdering, || And stealing, and committing adultery—have increased, || And blood has touched against blood.

3 Therefore the land mourns, || And every dweller is weak in it, || With the beast of the field, || And with the bird of the heavens, || And the fishes of the sea—they are removed.

4 Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, || And your people [are] as those striving with a priest.

5 And you have stumbled in the day, || And a prophet has also stumbled with you in the night, || And I have cut off your mother.

6 My people have been cut off for lack of knowledge, || Because you have rejected knowledge, || I reject you from being priest to Me, || And you forget the Law of your God—I forget your sons, I also!

7 According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, || I change their glory into shame.

8 The sin of My people they eat, || And to their iniquity lift up their soul.

9 And it has been, like people, like priest, || And I have charged on it its ways, || And its habitual doings I return to it.

10 And they have eaten, and are not satisfied, || They have gone whoring, and do not increase, || For they have left off taking heed to YHWH.

11 Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,

12 My people at its staff asks and its rod declares to it, || For a spirit of whoredoms has caused to err, || And they go whoring from under their God.

13 On tops of the mountains they sacrifice, || And on the hills they make incense, || Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, || For good [is] its shade.