Hosea 4
New King James Version
God’s Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a (A)charge[a] against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy
Or (B)knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed [b]upon bloodshed.
3 Therefore (C)the land will mourn;
And (D)everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those (E)who contend with the priest.
5 Therefore you shall stumble (F)in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 (G)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
(H)Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 “The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
(I)I[c] will change [d]their glory into shame.
8 They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their [e]heart on their iniquity.
9 And it shall be: (J)like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And [f]reward them for their deeds.
10 For (K)they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
The Idolatry of Israel
11 “Harlotry, wine, and new wine (L)enslave the heart.
12 My people ask counsel from their (M)wooden idols,
And their [g]staff informs them.
For (N)the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.
13 (O)They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
(P)Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.
14 “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a (Q)ritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
15 “Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
(R)Do not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to (S)Beth[h] Aven,
(T)Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—
16 “For Israel (U)is stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in [i]open country.
17 “Ephraim is joined to idols,
(V)Let him alone.
18 Their drink [j]is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
(W)Her [k]rulers [l]dearly love dishonor.
19 (X)The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And (Y)they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:1 A legal complaint
- Hosea 4:2 Lit. touching
- Hosea 4:7 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; scribal tradition, Syr., Tg. They will change
- Hosea 4:7 So with MT, LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; scribal tradition My glory
- Hosea 4:8 Desires
- Hosea 4:9 repay
- Hosea 4:12 Diviner’s rod
- Hosea 4:15 Lit. House of Idolatry or Wickedness
- Hosea 4:16 Lit. a large place
- Hosea 4:18 Or has turned aside
- Hosea 4:18 Lit. shields
- Hosea 4:18 Heb. difficult; a Jewish tradition shamefully love, ‘Give!’
Oze 4
Haitian Creole Version
4 ¶ Seyè a gen yon pwose l'ap mennen ak moun k'ap viv nan peyi a. Nou menm, pitit Izrayèl yo, koute sa Seyè a ap di: -Nan peyi a, bonjou moun pa laverite. Yo pa gen bon kè ankò. Pa gen moun ki konn Bondye ankò nan peyi a.
2 Se fè sèman pou gremesi, se bay manti. Se touye moun, se vòlò, se fè adiltè. Y'ap kraze gason, se krim sou krim.
3 Se poutèt sa, peyi a pral nan lapenn. Tout moun nan peyi a pral deperi. Tout zannimo nan savann, tout zwazo k'ap vole nan syèl, tout pwason nan lanmè pral mouri.
4 Seyè a di: Piga pesonn louvri bouch yo di yon mo! Piga pesonn kritike anyen! Se nou menm prèt yo, m'ap akize koulye a.
5 Gwo lajounen, n'ap fè sa nou pa t' dwe fè. Lannwit menm, ata pwofèt yo ap fè tankou nou. Se fini m'ap fini ak pèp la ki tankou yon manman sitirèz pou nou.
6 ¶ Pèp mwen an ap fini, paske li pa konnen mwen. Prèt yo voye tou sa mwen te moutre yo jete. Se konsa, mwen menm tou, mwen p'ap rekonèt yo pou prèt mwen ankò. Yo voye tou sa mwen menm, Bondye yo a, mwen te moutre yo a jete. Mwen menm tou, m'ap voye pitit yo jete.
7 Plis nou gen prèt, se plis n'ap fè sa ki mal devan je m'. Se poutèt sa, kote pou yo ta respekte nou an, se la y'ap fè nou wont.
8 Plis pèp la plonje nan fè peche, se plis n'ap vin pi rich. Se konsa nou ta renmen wè pèp la fè peche plis toujou.
9 Sa k'ap rive pèp la, se sa k'ap rive nou tou, nou menm prèt yo. M'ap regle nou pou tout move mès nou yo. M'ap fè nou peye tou sa nou fè ki mal.
10 N'a manje sa ki pou nou nan bèt nou ofri yo, men n'a rete grangou toujou. N'ap fè sèvis pou zidòl yo pretann di k'ap bay pitit, men n'a rete san fè pitit. Tou sa, paske nou vire do bay Seyè a pou nou kouri dèyè lòt bondye.
11 Seyè a di: -Nan sèvi lòt bondye, fanm, diven ak bweson fè pèp la pèdi tèt li.
12 ¶ Se yon moso bwa y' al mande sa pou yo fè! Se yon bout bwa ki pou di yo sa yo bezwen konnen! Yo tankou yon fanm marye ki lage kò l' nan fè jennès, yo pèdi tèt yo. Y'ap kouri dèyè lòt bondye, y'ap twonpe Seyè a!
13 Yo moute sou tèt mòn yo al ofri bèt pou touye. Y' al boule lansan sou ti mòn yo, anba pye bwadchenn, anba pye sikren ak pye mapou, kote ki gen bon lonbraj! Se poutèt sa, pitit fi yo ap lage kò yo nan jennès, bèlfi yo ap fè adiltè.
14 Non. Mwen p'ap pini ni pitit fi nou yo, ni bèlfi nou yo pou sa y'ap fè a, paske se nou menm gason k'ap fèmen kò nou apa ak medam k'ap fè jennès nan tanp yo. Nou mete tèt ansanm ak yo pou fè sèvis pou lòt bondye. Tankou pawòl la di: Yon pèp ki san konprann, se yon pèp ki fini.
15 Si moun Izrayèl yo vle vire do ban mwen, mwen ta swete moun Jida yo pa fè menm jan an tou! Pa ale lavil Gilgal! Pa moute Betavenn pou fè sèvis! Pa pran non Bondye vivan an pou fè sèman!
16 Paske, moun Izrayèl yo gen tèt di pase milèt pòt. Ki jan pou Seyè a ka mennen yo al manje nan savann tankou ti mouton?
17 Moun Efrayim yo menm lage kò yo bay zidòl yo nèt. Kite yo pou kont yo!
18 Yo mete tèt yo ansanm ak yon bann gwògè. Yo lage kò yo nan fanm. Yo pito sa ki pou fè yo wont la pase sa ki pou ta fè moun respekte yo.
19 Yo pran nan yon move kouran. Y'a wont ofrann bèt y'ap fè pou touye pou zidòl yo.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
