Hosea 4–5

The Charge Against Israel

4Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,

because the Lord has a charge^u to bring

against you who live in the land:^v

“There is no faithfulness,^w no love,

no acknowledgment^x of God in the land.^y

²There is only cursing,^a lying^z and murder,^a

stealing^b and adultery;^c

they break all bounds,

and bloodshed follows bloodshed.^d

³Because of this the land dries up,^e

and all who live in it waste away;^f

the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky

and the fish in the sea are swept away.^g

⁴“But let no one bring a charge,

let no one accuse another,

for your people are like those

who bring charges against a priest.^h

⁵You stumbleⁱ day and night,

and the prophets stumble with you.

So I will destroy your mother^j—

⁶my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.^k

“Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also reject you as my priests;

because you have ignored the law^l of your God,

I also will ignore your children.

⁷The more priests there were,

the more they sinned against me;

they exchanged their glorious God^bm for something disgraceful.ⁿ

⁸They feed on the sins of my people

and relish their wickedness.^o

⁹And it will be: Like people, like priests.^p

I will punish both of them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.^q

¹⁰“They will eat but not have enough;^r

they will engage in prostitution^s but not flourish,

because they have deserted^t the Lord

to give themselves ¹¹to prostitution;^u

old wine^v and new wine

take away their understanding.^w

¹²My people consult a wooden idol,^x

and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.^y

A spirit of prostitution^z leads them astray;^a

they are unfaithful^b to their God.

¹³They sacrifice on the mountaintops

and burn offerings on the hills,

under oak,^c poplar and terebinth,

where the shade is pleasant.^d

Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution^e

and your daughters-in-law to adultery.^f

¹⁴“I will not punish your daughters

when they turn to prostitution,

nor your daughters-in-law

when they commit adultery,

because the men themselves consort with harlots^g

and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes^h—

a people without understandingⁱ will come to ruin!^j

¹⁵“Though you, Israel, commit adultery,

do not let Judah become guilty.

“Do not go to Gilgal;^k

do not go up to Beth Aven.^cl

And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’^m

¹⁶The Israelites are stubborn,ⁿ

like a stubborn heifer.^o

How then can the Lord pasture them

like lambs^p in a meadow?

¹⁷Ephraim is joined to idols;

leave him alone!

¹⁸Even when their drinks are gone,

they continue their prostitution;

their rulers dearly love shameful ways.

¹⁹A whirlwind^q will sweep them away,

and their sacrifices will bring them shame.^r

Judgment Against Israel

5“Hear this, you priests!

Pay attention, you Israelites!

Listen, royal house!

This judgment^s is against you:

You have been a snare^t at Mizpah,

a net^u spread out on Tabor.

²The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.^v

I will discipline all of them.^w

³I know all about Ephraim;

Israel is not hidden^x from me.

Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;

Israel is corrupt.^y

⁴“Their deeds do not permit them

to return^z to their God.

A spirit of prostitution^a is in their heart;

they do not acknowledge^b the Lord.

⁵Israel’s arrogance testifies^c against them;

the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble^d in their sin;

Judah also stumbles with them.^e

⁶When they go with their flocks and herds

to seek the Lord,^f

they will not find him;

he has withdrawn^g himself from them.

⁷They are unfaithful^h to the Lord;

they give birth to illegitimateⁱ children.

When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,^j

he will devour^ak their fields.

⁸“Sound the trumpet^l in Gibeah,^m

the horn in Ramah.ⁿ

Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven^b;^o

lead on, Benjamin.

⁹Ephraim will be laid waste^p

on the day of reckoning.^q

Among the tribes of Israel

I proclaim what is certain.^r

¹⁰Judah’s leaders are like those

who move boundary stones.^s

I will pour out my wrath^t on them

like a flood of water.

¹¹Ephraim is oppressed,

trampled in judgment,

intent on pursuing idols.^cu

¹²I am like a moth^v to Ephraim,

like rot^w to the people of Judah.

¹³“When Ephraim^x saw his sickness,

and Judah his sores,

then Ephraim turned to Assyria,^y

and sent to the great king for help.^z

But he is not able to cure^a you,

not able to heal your sores.^b

¹⁴For I will be like a lion^c to Ephraim,

like a great lion to Judah.

I will tear them to pieces^d and go away;

I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.^e

¹⁵Then I will return to my lair^f

until they have borne their guilt^g

and seek my face^h—

in their miseryⁱ

they will earnestly seek me.^j”