Hosea 4

1`Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife <FI>is<Fi> to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor knowledge of God, in the land,

1Hear 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.

2Swearing, and lying, and murdering, And stealing, and committing adultery--have increased, And blood against blood hath touched.

2Cursing, and lying, and killing, and theft, and adultery, have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood.

3Therefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea--they are removed.

3Therefore 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.

4Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And thy people <FI>are<Fi> as those striving with a priest.

4But yet let not any man judge: and let not a man be rebuked: for thy people are as they that contradict the priest.

5And thou hast stumbled in the day, And stumbled hath also a prophet with thee in the night, And I have cut off thy mother.

5And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee: in the night I have made thy mother to be silent.

6Cut off have been My people for lack of knowledge, Because thou knowledge hast rejected, I reject thee from being priest to Me, And thou forgettest the law of thy God, I forget thy sons, I also!

6My 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.

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

7According to the multitude of them, so have they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame.

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

8They shall eat the sins of my people, and shall lift up their souls to their iniquity.

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

9And there shall be like people like priest: and I will visit their ways upon them, and I will repay them their devices.

10And they have eaten, and are not satisfied, They have gone a-whoring, and increase not, For they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

10And 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 the law.

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

11Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness, take away the understanding.

12My people at its staff asketh and its rod declareth to it, For a spirit of whoredoms hath caused to err, And they go a-whoring from under their God.

12My 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.

13On tops of the mountains they do sacrifice, And on the hills they make perfume, Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, For good <FI>is<Fi> its shade.

13They 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.

14Therefore commit whoredom do your daughters, And your spouses commit adultery, I do not see after your daughters when they commit whoredom, And after your spouses when they commit adultery, For they with the harlots are separated, And with the whores they do sacrifice, A people that doth not understand kicketh.

14I will not visit upon your daughters, when they shall 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.

15Though a harlot thou <FI>art<Fi> , O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.

15If 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.

16For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.

16For Israel hath gone astray like a wanton heifer now will the Lord feed them, as a lamb in a spacious place.

17Joined to idols <FI>is<Fi> Ephraim, let him alone.

17Ephraim is a partaker with idols, let him alone.

18Sour <FI>is<Fi> their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly.

18Their banquet is separated, they have gone astray by fornication: they that should have protected them have loved to bring shame upon them.

19Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!

19The wind hath bound them up in its wings, and they shall be confounded because of their sacrifices.