Hosea 4:4–10

Yet let no one contend,

and let none accuse,

for with you is my contention, O priest.

You shall stumble by day;

the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;

and I will destroy your mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;

because you have rejected knowledge,

I reject you from being a priest to me.

And since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

The more they increased,

the more they sinned against me;

I will change their glory into shame.

They feed on the sin of my people;

they are greedy for their iniquity.

And it shall be like people, like priest;

I will punish them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.

They shall eat, but not be satisfied;

they shall play the whore, but not multiply,

because they have forsaken the Lord

to cherish

“But let no one bring a charge,

let no one accuse another,

for your people are like those

who bring charges against a priest.

You stumble day and night,

and the prophets stumble with you.

So I will destroy your mother—

my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

“Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also reject you as my priests;

because you have ignored the law of your God,

I also will ignore your children.

The more priests there were,

the more they sinned against me;

they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful.

They feed on the sins of my people

and relish their wickedness.

And it will be: Like people, like priests.

I will punish both of them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.

“They will eat but not have enough;

they will engage in prostitution but not flourish,

because they have deserted the Lord

to give themselves

But let no one dispute; let no one argue,

for my case is against you priests.

You will stumble by day;

the prophet will also stumble with you by night.

And I will destroy your mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I will reject you from serving as my priest.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I will also forget your sons.

The more they multiplied,

the more they sinned against me.

I will change their honor into disgrace.

They feed on the sin of my people;

they have an appetite for their iniquity.

The same judgment will happen

to both people and priests.

I will punish them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.

They will eat but not be satisfied;

they will be promiscuous but not multiply.

For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord.

“Don’t point your finger at someone else

and try to pass the blame!

My complaint, you priests,

is with you.

So you will stumble in broad daylight,

and your false prophets will fall with you in the night.

And I will destroy Israel, your mother.

My people are being destroyed

because they don’t know me.

Since you priests refuse to know me,

I refuse to recognize you as my priests.

Since you have forgotten the laws of your God,

I will forget to bless your children.

The more priests there are,

the more they sin against me.

They have exchanged the glory of God

for the shame of idols.

“When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed.

So the priests are glad when the people sin!

‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’

So now I will punish both priests and people

for their wicked deeds.

They will eat and still be hungry.

They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it,

for they have deserted the Lord

Yet, let no one contend,

and let no one accuse,

for with you, O priest, is my contention.

You will stumble by day,

and the priest also will stumble

with you at night.

And I will destroy your mother;

My people are destroyed

for lack of knowledge;

because you have rejected knowledge,

I reject you from acting as a priest for me.

And since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I will also forget your children.

When they became many, their sin increased against me;

they changed their glory into shame.

They feed on the sin of my people,

they are greedy for their iniquity.

And it will be like people, like priest;

I will punish them for their ways,

and I will requite them for their deeds.

They will eat and not be satisfied;

they will play the whore and not multiply,

because they have forsaken Yahweh to devote themselves to

Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another:

For thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

Therefore shalt thou fall in the day,

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

And I will destroy thy mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

Because thou hast rejected knowledge,

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

Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,

I will also forget thy children.

As they were increased, so they sinned against me:

Therefore will I change their glory into shame.

They eat up the sin of my people,

And they set their heart on their iniquity.

And there shall be, like people, like priest:

And I will punish them for their ways,

And reward them their doings.

For they shall eat, and not have enough:

They shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase:

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