Hosea 4:1–12

*aHear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel:

For aathe Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,

Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor bknowledge of God in the land.

2  cBy swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out,

And †blood toucheth blood.

3  Therefore dshall the land mourn,

And deevery one that dwelleth therein fshall languish,

eghWith the beasts of the field, and ehwith the fowls of heaven;

Yea, ehthe fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

4  Yet ilet no man strive, nor reprove another:

For kthy people are as lthey that strive with the priest.

5  Therefore shalt thou fall in the day,

And the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night,

And I will †destroy mthy mother.

6  My people are †destroyed nfor lack of knowledge:

Because thou hast rejected knowledge,

I will also reject thee, that othou shalt be no priest to me:

Seeing pthou hast forgotten the law of thy God,

I will also forget thy children.

7  qAs they were increased, so they sinned against me:

rTherefore will I change their glory into shame.

8  They seat up the sin of my people,

And they †tset their heart on their iniquity.

9  uAnd there shall be, ulike people, like priest:

And vI will †punish them for their ways,

And v†reward them their doings.

10  For wthey shall eat, and not have enough:

They shall commit whoredom, and shall not xincrease:

Because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

11  yWhoredom and yzwine and anew wine btake away the heart.

12  My people cask counsel at their dstocks,

And etheir staff declareth unto them:

For fthe spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err,

And they have gone a whoring from under their God.