Hosea 4:14-16
Amplified Bible
14
I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute
Or your brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves slip away with prostitutes,
And they offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes [who give their bodies in honor of the idol].
So the people without understanding [stumble and fall and] come to ruin.
15
Though you, Israel, play the prostitute [by worshiping idols],
Do not let Judah become guilty [of the same thing];
And do not go to Gilgal [where idols are worshiped],
Or go up to [a]Beth-aven (House of Wickedness),
Nor swear [oaths in idolatrous worship, saying],
“As the Lord lives!”
16
For Israel is stubborn,
Like a stubborn heifer.
Can the Lord now pasture them
Like a lamb in a large field?
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:15 A contemptuous reference to Bethel (House of God, the place of Jacob’s dream, Gen 28:10-19), noted for idolatry.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
