Hosea 4:1–5:15

GOD’S CASE AGAINST ISRAEL

4 Hear the word of the Lord,h people of Israel,

for the Lord has a casei

against the inhabitants of the land:

There is no truth,j no faithful love,k

and no knowledge of Godl in the land!

2 Cursing,m lying,n murder,o stealing,p

and adulteryq are rampant;

one act of bloodshed follows another.r

3 For this reason the land mourns,s

and everyone who lives in it languishes,

along with the wild animalst and the birds of the sky;

even the fish of the sea disappear.u

4 But let no one dispute;v let no one argue,

for my case is against you priests.A,B,w

5 You will stumble by day;x

the prophet will also stumble with you by night.

And I will destroy your mother.y

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.z

Because you have rejected knowledge,aa

I will reject youab from serving as my priest.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,ac

I will also forget your sons.

7 The more they multiplied,ad

the more they sinned against me.

IC will change theirD honor into disgrace.ae

8 They feed on the sinE of my people;af

they have an appetite for their iniquity.ag

9 The same judgment will happen

to both people and priests.ah

I will punish them for their waysai

and repay them for their deeds.

10 They will eat but not be satisfied;aj

they will be promiscuousak but not multiply.

For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord.al

11 Promiscuity,am wine, and new wine

take away one’s understanding.an

12 My people consult their wooden idols,ao

and their divining rods inform them.

For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray;ap

they act promiscuouslyaq

in disobedience toF their God.

13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops,ar

and they burn offerings on the hills,as

and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,at

because their shade is pleasant.

And so your daughters act promiscuously

and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

14 I will not punish your daughters

when they act promiscuously

or your daughters-in-law

when they commit adultery,

for the men themselves go off with prostitutesau

and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes.av

People without discernment are doomed.aw

WARNINGS FOR ISRAEL AND JUDAH

15 Israel, if you act promiscuously,

don’t let Judah become guilty!

Do not go to Gilgalax

or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven,A,ay

and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives!az

16 For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow.ba

Can the Lord now shepherd them

like a lamb in an open meadow?bb

17 Ephraim is attached to idols;bc

leave him alone!bd

18 When their drinking is over,

they turn to promiscuity.

Israel’s leaders* fervently love disgrace.C

19 A wind with its wings will carry them off,D,be

and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.

5 Hear this, priests!a

Pay attention, house of Israel!

Listen, royal house!

For the judgment applies to you

because you have been a snare at Mizpahb

and a net spread out on Tabor.

2 Rebelsc are deeply involved in slaughter;d

I will be a punishment for all of them.C

3 I know Ephraim,e

and Israel is not hidden from me.

For now, Ephraim,f

you have acted promiscuously;

Israel is defiled.

4 Their actions do not allow them

to return to their God,g

for a spirit of promiscuity is among them,h

and they do not know the Lord.i

5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them.E,j

Both Israel and Ephraim stumble

because of their iniquity;k

even Judah will stumble with them.l

6 They go with their flocks and herds

to seek the Lordm

but do not find him;n

he has withdrawn from them.o

7 They betrayed the Lord;p

indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children.q

Now the New Moonr will devour them

along with their fields.s

8 Blow the trumpet in Gibeah,t

the trumpet in Ramah;u

raise the war cry in Beth-aven:v

Look behind you,F Benjamin!w

9 Ephraim will become a desolationx

on the day of punishment;y

I announce what is certain

among the tribes of Israel.z

10 The princes of Judah are like those

who move boundary markers;aa

I will pour out my furyab on them like water.ac

11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,ad

for he is determined to follow what is worthless.A

12 So I am like rot to Ephraimae

and like decay to the house of Judah.

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness

and Judah his wound,

Ephraim went to Assyriaaf

and sent a delegation to the great king.B,ag

But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.ah

14 For I am like a lion to Ephraimai

and like a young lion to the house of Judah.

Yes, I will tear them to pieces and depart.aj

I will carry them off,

and no one can rescue them.ak

15 I will depart and return to my place

until they recognize their guilt and seek my face;al

they will search for me in their distress.am