Hosea 4–6

God’s Case against Israel

4Hear the word of the Lord, ^speople of Israel,

for the Lord has a case ^t

against the inhabitants of the land:

There is no truth, ^uno faithful love, ^v

and no knowledge of God ^win the land!

²Cursing, ^xlying, ^ymurder, ^zstealing, ^a

and adultery ^bare rampant;

one act of bloodshed follows another. ^c

³For this reason the land mourns, ^d

and everyone who lives in it languishes,

along with the wild animals ^eand the birds of the sky;

even the fish of the sea disappear. ^f

⁴But let no one dispute; ^glet no one argue,

for My case is against you priests. ^hij

⁵You will stumble by day; ^k

the prophet will also stumble with you by night.

And I will destroy your mother. ^l

⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. ^m

Because you have rejected knowledge, ⁿ

I will reject you ^ofrom serving as My priest.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God, ^p

I will also forget your sons.

⁷The more they multiplied, ^q

the more they sinned against Me.

I ^rwill change their honor ^sinto disgrace. ^t

⁸They feed on the sin ^uof My people; ^v

they have an appetite for their transgressions. ^w

⁹The same judgment will happen

to both people and priests. ^x

I will punish them for their ways ^y

and repay them for their deeds.

¹⁰They will eat but not be satisfied; ^z

they will be promiscuous ^abut not multiply.

For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord. ^b

¹¹Promiscuity, ^cwine, and new wine

take away one’s understanding. ^d

¹²My people consult their wooden idols, ^e

and their divining rods inform them.

For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; ^f

they act promiscuously ^g

in disobedience to ^htheir God.

¹³They sacrifice on the mountaintops, ⁱ

and they burn offerings on the hills, ^j

and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, ^k

because their shade is pleasant.

And so your daughters act promiscuously

and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.

¹⁴I 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 prostitutes ^l

and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. ^m

People without discernment are doomed. ⁿ

Warnings for Israel and Judah

¹⁵Israel, if you act promiscuously,

don’t let Judah become guilty!

Do not go to Gilgal ^o

or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, ^pq

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

¹⁶For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow. ^s

Can the Lord now shepherd them

like a lamb in an open meadow? ^t

¹⁷Ephraim is attached to idols; ^u

leave him alone! ^v

¹⁸When their drinking is over,

they turn to promiscuity.

Israel’s leaders ^wfervently love disgrace. ^x

¹⁹A wind with its wings will carry them off, ^yz

and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.

5Hear this, priests! ^a

Pay attention, house of Israel!

Listen, royal house!

For the judgment applies to you

because you have been a snare at Mizpah ^b

and a net spread out on Tabor.

²Rebels ^care deeply involved in slaughter; ^d

I will be a punishment for all of them. ^e

³I know Ephraim, ^f

and Israel is not hidden from Me.

For now, Ephraim, ^g

you have acted promiscuously;

Israel is defiled.

⁴Their actions do not allow them

to return to their God, ^h

for a spirit of promiscuity is among them, ⁱ

and they do not know the Lord. ^j

⁵Israel’s arrogance testifies against them. ^kl

Both Israel and Ephraim stumble

because of their wickedness; ^m

even Judah will stumble with them. ⁿ

⁶They go with their flocks and herds

to seek the Lord ^o

but do not find Him; ^p

He has withdrawn from them. ^q

⁷They betrayed the Lord; ^r

indeed, they gave birth to illegitimate children. ^s

Now the New Moon ^twill devour them

along with their fields. ^u

⁸Blow the horn in Gibeah, ^v

the trumpet in Ramah; ^w

raise the war cry in Beth-aven: ^x

After you, Benjamin! ^y

⁹Ephraim will become a desolation ^z

on the day of punishment; ^a

I announce what is certain

among the tribes of Israel. ^b

¹⁰The princes of Judah are like those

who move boundary markers; ^c

I will pour out My fury ^don them like water. ^e

¹¹Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, ^f

for he is determined to follow what is worthless. ^g

¹²So I am like rot to Ephraim ^h

and like decay to the house of Judah.

¹³When Ephraim saw his sickness

and Judah his wound,

Ephraim went to Assyria ⁱ

and sent a delegation to the great king. ^jk

But he cannot cure you or heal your wound. ^l

¹⁴For I am like a lion to Ephraim ^m

and like a young lion to the house of Judah.

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

I will carry them off,

and no one can rescue them. ^o

¹⁵I will depart and return to My place

until they recognize their guilt and seek My face; ^p

they will search for Me in their distress. ^q

A Call to Repentance

6Come, let us return to the Lord. ^r

For He has torn us, ^s

and He will heal us; ^t

He has wounded us,

and He will bind up our wounds. ^u

²He will revive us after two days, ^v

and on the third day He will raise us up

so we can live in His presence. ^w

³Let us strive to know the Lord. ^x

His appearance is as sure as the dawn. ^y

He will come to us like the rain, ^z

like the spring showers that water the land.

The Lord’s First Lament

⁴What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? ^a

What am I going to do with you, Judah?

Your loyalty is like the morning mist ^b

and like the early dew that vanishes.

⁵This is why I have used the prophets

to cut them down; ^cd

I have killed them with the words of My mouth.

My judgment strikes like lightning. ^e

⁶For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice,

the knowledge of God ^frather than burnt offerings. ^g

⁷But they, like Adam, ^hhave violated the covenant; ⁱ

there they have betrayed Me. ^j

⁸Gilead is a city of evildoers, ^k

tracked with bloody footprints. ^l

⁹Like raiders who wait in ambush for someone, ^m

a band of priests murders on the road to Shechem. ⁿ

They commit atrocities. ^o

¹⁰I have seen something horrible ^pin the house of Israel:

Ephraim’s promiscuity is there; ^qIsrael is defiled.

¹¹A harvest is also appointed for you, Judah. ^r

When I ^sreturn My people from captivity, ^t