Hosea 4:1–5:15

1  Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land. 2  Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, —they break out; and blood toucheth blood. 3  For this shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowl of the heavens, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. 4  Yet let no man strive, and let no man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. 5  And thou shalt stumble by day; and the prophet also shall stumble with thee by night: and I will destroy thy mother.

6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; for thou hast rejected knowledge, and I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children. 7  As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame. 8  They eat the sin of my people, and their soul longeth for their iniquity. 9  And it shall be as the people so the priest; and I will visit their ways upon them, and recompense to them their doings; 10  and they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: for they have left off taking heed to Jehovah. 11  Fornication, and wine, and new wine take away the heart.

12  My people ask counsel of their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredoms causeth them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God: 13  they sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because the shade thereof is good; therefore your daughters play the harlot and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14  I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your daughters-in-law for their committing adultery; for they themselves go aside with harlots, and they sacrifice with prostitutes: and the people that doth not understand shall come to ruin. 15  Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, let not Judah trespass; and come ye not unto Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear As Jehovah liveth! 16  For Israel is refractory as an untractable heifer; now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a wide pasture. 17  —Ephraim is joined to idols: leave him alone. 18  Their drink is sour; they give themselves up to whoredom; her great men passionately love their shame. 19  The wind hath wrapped her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Chapter 5

1  Hear this, ye priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ear, O house of the king: for this judgment is for you; for ye have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor. 2  And they have plunged themselves in the corruption of apostasy, but I will be a chastiser of them all. 3  I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me; for now, Ephraim, thou hast committed whoredom; Israel is defiled. 4  Their doings do not allow them to return unto their God; for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they know not Jehovah. 5  And Israel’s pride doth testify to his face; and Israel and Ephraim shall fall by their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them. 6  They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Jehovah; but they shall not find him: he hath withdrawn himself from them. 7  They have dealt treacherously against Jehovah; for they have begotten strange children: now shall the new moon devour them, with their allotted possessions.

8  Blow the horn in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah; cry aloud at Beth-aven: behind thee, O Benjamin! 9  Ephraim shall be a desolation in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which is sure. 10  The princes of Judah are become like them that remove the landmark: I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. 11  Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because in selfwill he walked after the commandment of man. 12  And I will be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness. 13  When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sore, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb; but he was unable to heal you, nor hath he removed your sore. 14  For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah. I, I will tear and go away; I will carry off, and there shall be none to deliver. 15  I will go away, I will return to my place, till they acknowledge their trespass, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.