Hosea 4

¹ Hear the word of the LORD, children of Israel,
for the LORD has a dispute with the inhabitants of the land:
There is no faithfulness, no loyal love,
and no knowledge of God in the land.

² Swearing and lying, murder and stealing and adultery—
they break out, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

³ Therefore the land mourns,
and all who dwell in it languish,
along with the beasts of the field
and the birds of the sky;
even the fish of the sea are gathered away.

⁴ Yet let no one contend,
and let no one bring charges—
for your people are like those
who contend with a priest.

⁵ You will stumble by day,
and the prophet also will stumble with you by night,
and I will destroy your mother.

⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being my priest.
You forgot the instruction of your God,
so I will forget your children.

⁷ The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against me;
I will change their glory into shame.

⁸ They feed on the sin of my people;
they lift their appetite to their iniquity.

⁹ And it will be: like people, like priest.
I will bring account on him for his ways
and repay him for his deeds.

¹⁰ They will eat but not be satisfied;
they will be promiscuous but not increase,
for they have abandoned the LORD
to give themselves to promiscuity.

¹¹ Promiscuity, wine, and new wine
take away the understanding.

¹² My people inquire of their wood,
and their staff declares to them—
for a spirit of promiscuity has led them astray,
and they are promiscuous, departing from under their God.

¹³ On the tops of mountains they sacrifice,
and on the hills they burn incense—
under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
for their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters are promiscuous
and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

¹⁴ I will not punish your daughters when they are promiscuous,
nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery—
for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
and sacrifice with cult prostitutes,
and a people without understanding will be ruined.

¹⁵ If you, Israel, are promiscuous,
let not Judah become guilty.
Do not come to Gilgal,
do not go up to Beth-aven,
and do not swear, "As the LORD lives!"

¹⁶ For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn cow.
Can the LORD now pasture them
like a lamb in a broad meadow?

¹⁷ Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone.

¹⁸ Their drink is gone;
they are utterly promiscuous.
Her rulers dearly love shame.

¹⁹ A wind has wrapped her in its wings,
and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.