God’s Case against His People

1Hear the word of Jehovah, ye sons of Israel: for a contention to Jehovah with the inhabitants of the land, for no truth and no kindness and no knowledge of God in the land.

2Swearing and lying, and breaking in pieces, and stealing and committing adultery, they broke forth; and bloods touched upon bloods.

3For this the land shall mourn, and every one in it languished with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of the heavens; and also the fish of the sea shall be taken away.

4But a man shall not contend, and he shall not admonish a man: and my people as contending with the priest.

5And thou wert weak in the day, and the prophet also was weak with thee by night, and I destroyed thy mother.

6My people were cut off from not knowing: because thou didst reject knowledge and I will reject thee from being priest to me: and thou wilt forget the instructions of thy God; I will also forget thy sons, also I.

7As they multiplied so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into dishonor.

8They will eat up the sin of my people, and they will lift up their soul to their iniquity.

9And it was as the people so the priest: and I reviewed upon them their way; and their doings I will turn back to them.

10For they ate and they shall not be satisfied, and they committed fornication and they shall not spread abroad: for with Jehovah they left off to watch.

11Fornication and wine and new wine will take away the heart.

12My people will ask in their counsel, and with their rod they will announce to them: for the spirit of fornications caused to err, and they will commit fornication from under their God.

13Upon the heads of the mountains they will sacrifice, and upon the hills they will burn incense, under the oak and the white poplar and the terebinth, because its shadow was good: for this your daughters will commit fornication, and your brides shall commit adultery.

14I will not review over your daughters when they shall commit fornication, and over your brides when they shall commit adultery: fur they will separate themselves with harlots, and with prostitutes will they sacrifice: and the people will not understand, they shall be thrown down.

15If thou Israel commit fornication Judah shall not transgress; and ye shall not come to Gilgal, and ye shall not go up to the house of vanity, and ye shall not swear, Jehovah lives.

16For as a stubborn heifer Israel was stubborn: now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide place.

17Ephraim is joined to images: leave him.

18Their drinking bout departed: committing fornication, they committed fornication: they loved, give ye shame upon her shields.

19The wind bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed of their sacrifices.