Hos 4 | HCSB | STEP | Hear the word of the Lord , people of Israel , for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land : There is no truth , no faithful love , and no knowledge of God in the land !

Hosea 4

God’s Case against Israel

1 Hear 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!
2 Cursing, ^f lying, ^g murder, ^h stealing, ⁱ
and adultery ^j are rampant;
one act of bloodshed follows another. ^k
3 For 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
4 But let no one dispute; ^o let no one argue,
for My case is against you priests. ^{▼▼Text emended; MT reads argue, and your people are like those contending with a priest
,} ^{▼▼Hb obscure
,} ^r
5 You will stumble by day; ^s
the prophet will also stumble with you by night.
And I will destroy your mother. ^t
6 My 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.

7 The more they multiplied, ^y
the more they sinned against Me.
I ^{▼▼Alt Hb tradition, Syr, Tg read They} will change their honor ^{▼▼Ancient Jewish tradition reads My honor} into disgrace. ^ab
8 They feed on the sin ^{▼▼Or sin offerings} of My people; ^ad
they have an appetite for their transgressions. ^ae
9 The same judgment will happen
to both people and priests. ^af
I will punish them for their ways ^ag
and repay them for their deeds.
10 They 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
11 Promiscuity, ^ak wine, and new wine
take away one’s understanding. ^al

12 My 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 ^{▼▼Lit promiscuously from under} their God.
13 They 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.
14 I 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

15 Israel, if you act promiscuously,
don’t let Judah become ^{▼▼guilt/guilty: The liability to be punished for a fault, a sin, an act, or an omission unless there is forgiveness or atonement; the term normally concerns an objective fact, not a subjective feeling.}guilty!
Do not go to Gilgal ^ax
or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, ^{▼▼= House of Wickedness
,} ^az
and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives! ^ba
16 For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow. ^bb
Can the Lord now shepherd them
like a lamb in an open meadow? ^bc
17 Ephraim is attached to idols; ^bd
leave him alone! ^be
18 When their drinking is over,
they turn to promiscuity.
Israel’s leaders ^{▼▼Lit Her shields; Ps 47:9; 89:18} fervently love disgrace. ^{▼▼Hb obscure}
19 A wind with its wings will carry them off, ^{▼▼Lit wind will bind it in its wings
,} ^bi
and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.