Hosea 4

God’s Case against Israel

¹Hear the word of the Lord, ^a people of Israel,

for the Lord has a case ^b

against the inhabitants of the land:

There is no truth, ^c no faithful love, ^d

and no knowledge of God ^e in the land!

²Cursing, ^f lying, ^g murder, ^h stealing, ⁱ

and adultery ^j are rampant;

one act of bloodshed follows another. ^k

³For this reason the land mourns, ^l

and everyone who lives in it languishes,

along with the wild animals ^m and the birds of the sky;

even the fish of the sea disappear. ⁿ

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

for my case is against you priests. ^p,^q,^r

⁵You will stumble by day; ^s

the prophet will also stumble with you by night.

And I will destroy your mother. ^t

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

Because you have rejected knowledge, ^v

I will reject you ^w from serving as my priest.

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

I will also forget your sons.

⁷The more they multiplied, ^y

the more they sinned against me.

I ^z will change their ^aa honor into disgrace. ^ab

⁸They feed on the sin ^ac of my people; ^ad

they have an appetite for their iniquity. ^ae

⁹The same judgment will happen

to both people and priests. ^af

I will punish them for their ways ^ag

and repay them for their deeds.

¹⁰They will eat but not be satisfied; ^ah

they will be promiscuous ^ai but not multiply.

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

¹¹Promiscuity, ^ak wine, and new wine

take away one’s understanding. ^al

¹²My people consult their wooden idols, ^am

and their divining rods inform them.

For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; ^an

they act promiscuously ^ao

in disobedience to ^ap their God.

¹³They sacrifice on the mountaintops, ^aq

and they burn offerings on the hills, ^ar

and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, ^as

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 ^at

and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. ^au

People without discernment are doomed. ^av

Warnings for Israel and Judah

¹⁵Israel, if you act promiscuously,

don’t let Judah become guilty!

Do not go to Gilgal ^aw

or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, ^ax,^ay

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

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

Can the Lord now shepherd them

like a lamb in an open meadow? ^bb

¹⁷Ephraim is attached to idols; ^bc

leave him alone! ^bd

¹⁸When their drinking is over,

they turn to promiscuity.

Israel’s leaders ^be fervently love disgrace. ^bf

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

and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.