Hosea 4

Yahweh Has an Indictment

4Hear the word of Yahweh, O children of Israel,

for Yahweh has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land.

There is no faithfulness or loyalty,

there is no knowledge of God in the land.

²Swearing and lying,

murdering and stealing,

and adultery break out,^a

and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

³Therefore the land mourns,

and all those living in it languish

with the animals of the field,

and the birds of the heaven,

and even the fish of the sea

are being swept away.

⁴Yet, let no one contend,

and let no one accuse,

for with you, O priest, is my contention.^b

⁵You will stumble by day,

and the priest also will stumble

with you at night.

And I will destroy your mother;

⁶My people are destroyed

for lack of knowledge;

because you have rejected knowledge,

I reject you from acting as a priest for me.^c

And since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I will also forget your children.^d

⁷When they became many, their sin increased against me;

they changed^e their glory into shame.

⁸They feed on the sin of my people,^f

they are greedy^g for their iniquity.

⁹And it will be like people, like priest;

I will punish them^h for theirⁱ ways,

and I will requite them^j for their^k deeds.

¹⁰They will eat and not be satisfied;

they will play the whore and not multiply,

because they have forsaken Yahweh to devote themselves to

¹¹whoredom.^l

Wine and new wine take away the understanding.^m

¹²My people,

consult their wooden idols,ⁿ

and their divining rod gives them oracles;

because a spirit of whoredom led them astray,

and they played the whore from under their God.^o

¹³On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice,

and on the hills they make offerings,

under oak, poplar, and terebinth,

because their^p shade is good.

Therefore your daughters play the whore,

and all your daughters-in-law^q commit adultery.

¹⁴I will not punish your daughters^r when they play the whore,

or your daughters-in-law^s when they commit adultery;

because they go aside with whores,

and they sacrifice with temple prostitutes,

a people that does not understand comes to ruin.

¹⁵Even though you, O Israel, are playing the whore,

do not let Judah become guilty;

do not enter Gilgal,

or go up to Beth-aven;

and do not swear,

“As Yahweh lives!”^t

¹⁶Indeed, like a stubborn heifer,

Israel is stubborn;

Now Yahweh will feed them,

like a lamb in broad pasture.^u

¹⁷Ephraim is joined to idols;

let him alone.

¹⁸When their drinking has ended,

they surely indulge in sexual orgies.

They love lewdness more than their^v glory.

¹⁹A wind has wrapped them^w in its wings,

and they will be ashamed because of their altars.