Hosea 4:4-6:1
English Standard Version
4 (A)Yet let no one contend,
and let none accuse,
for with you is (B)my contention, O priest.[a]
5 You shall stumble by day;
the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;
and I will destroy (C)your mother.
6 My people are destroyed (D)for lack of knowledge;
(E)because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you (F)from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
(G)I also will forget your children.
7 (H)The more they increased,
the more they sinned against me;
(I)I will change their glory into shame.
8 (J)They feed on the sin[b] of my people;
they are greedy for their iniquity.
9 (K)And it shall be like people, like priest;
I will punish them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
10 (L)They shall eat, but not be satisfied;
they shall play the whore, but not multiply,
because they have forsaken the Lord
to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine,
which (M)take away the understanding.
12 My people (N)inquire of a piece of wood,
and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For (O)a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
and they have left their God to play the whore.
13 (P)They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
and burn offerings on the hills,
(Q)under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters play the whore,
and your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore,
nor your brides when they commit adultery;
for (R)the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
and sacrifice with (S)cult prostitutes,
and a people (T)without understanding shall come to ruin.
15 Though you play the whore, O (U)Israel,
let not (V)Judah become guilty.
(W)Enter not into (X)Gilgal,
nor go up to (Y)Beth-aven,
and swear not, “As the Lord lives.”
16 Like a stubborn heifer,
Israel is stubborn;
can the Lord now feed them
like a lamb in a broad pasture?
17 (Z)Ephraim is joined to idols;
(AA)leave him alone.
18 When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring;
(AB)their rulers[c] dearly love shame.
19 (AC)A wind has wrapped them[d] in its wings,
and they shall (AD)be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Punishment Coming for Israel and Judah
5 (AE)Hear this, O priests!
Pay attention, O house of Israel!
Give ear, O house of the king!
For the judgment is for you;
for (AF)you have been a snare at Mizpah
and a net spread upon (AG)Tabor.
2 And (AH)the revolters (AI)have gone deep into slaughter,
but (AJ)I will discipline all of them.
3 (AK)I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me;
for now, O Ephraim, you have played the whore;
Israel is defiled.
4 (AL)Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God.
For (AM)the spirit of whoredom is within them,
and they know not the Lord.
5 (AN)The pride of Israel testifies to his face;[e]
Israel and (AO)Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt;
(AP)Judah also shall stumble with them.
6 (AQ)With their flocks and herds they shall go
to seek the Lord,
(AR)but they will not find him;
(AS)he has withdrawn from them.
7 (AT)They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord;
for they have borne alien children.
Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields.
8 (AU)Blow the horn in (AV)Gibeah,
the trumpet in (AW)Ramah.
Sound the alarm at (AX)Beth-aven;
we follow you,[f] O Benjamin!
9 Ephraim shall become a desolation
in the day of punishment;
among the tribes of Israel
I make known what is sure.
10 The princes of Judah have become
like (AY)those who move the landmark;
upon them I will pour out
my wrath like water.
11 Ephraim is (AZ)oppressed, crushed in judgment,
because he was determined to go after filth.[g]
12 But I am (BA)like a moth to Ephraim,
and (BB)like dry rot to the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim saw his sickness,
and Judah (BC)his wound,
then Ephraim went (BD)to Assyria,
and sent to the great king.[h]
(BE)But he is not able to cure you
or heal (BF)your wound.
14 For I will be (BG)like a lion to (BH)Ephraim,
and like a young lion to the house of (BI)Judah.
(BJ)I, even I, will tear and go away;
I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.
15 (BK)I will return again to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face,
and (BL)in their distress earnestly seek me.
Israel and Judah Are Unrepentant
6 “Come, let us (BM)return to the Lord;
for (BN)he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and (BO)he will bind us up.
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:4 Or for your people are like those who contend with the priest
- Hosea 4:8 Or sin offering
- Hosea 4:18 Hebrew shields
- Hosea 4:19 Hebrew her
- Hosea 5:5 Or in his presence
- Hosea 5:8 Or after you
- Hosea 5:11 Or to follow human precepts
- Hosea 5:13 Or to King Jareb
Hosea 4:4-6:1
New International Version
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.(A)
5 You stumble(B) day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother(C)—
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(D)
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(E) of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
7 The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their glorious God[a](F) for something disgraceful.(G)
8 They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.(H)
9 And it will be: Like people, like priests.(I)
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.(J)
10 “They will eat but not have enough;(K)
they will engage in prostitution(L) but not flourish,
because they have deserted(M) the Lord
to give themselves 11 to prostitution;(N)
old wine(O) and new wine
take away their understanding.(P)
12 My people consult a wooden idol,(Q)
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.(R)
A spirit of prostitution(S) leads them astray;(T)
they are unfaithful(U) to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,(V) poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.(W)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution(X)
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.(Y)
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(Z)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(AA)—
a people without understanding(AB) will come to ruin!(AC)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(AD)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[b](AE)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(AF)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(AG)
like a stubborn heifer.(AH)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(AI) in a meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18 Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19 A whirlwind(AJ) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(AK)
Judgment Against Israel
5 “Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
This judgment(AL) is against you:
You have been a snare(AM) at Mizpah,
a net(AN) spread out on Tabor.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.(AO)
I will discipline all of them.(AP)
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden(AQ) from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.(AR)
4 “Their deeds do not permit them
to return(AS) to their God.
A spirit of prostitution(AT) is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge(AU) the Lord.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies(AV) against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble(AW) in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.(AX)
6 When they go with their flocks and herds
to seek the Lord,(AY)
they will not find him;
he has withdrawn(AZ) himself from them.
7 They are unfaithful(BA) to the Lord;
they give birth to illegitimate(BB) children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,(BC)
he will devour[c](BD) their fields.
8 “Sound the trumpet(BE) in Gibeah,(BF)
the horn in Ramah.(BG)
Raise the battle cry in Beth Aven[d];(BH)
lead on, Benjamin.
9 Ephraim will be laid waste(BI)
on the day of reckoning.(BJ)
Among the tribes of Israel
I proclaim what is certain.(BK)
10 Judah’s leaders are like those
who move boundary stones.(BL)
I will pour out my wrath(BM) on them
like a flood of water.
11 Ephraim is oppressed,
trampled in judgment,
intent on pursuing idols.[e](BN)
12 I am like a moth(BO) to Ephraim,
like rot(BP) to the people of Judah.
13 “When Ephraim(BQ) saw his sickness,
and Judah his sores,
then Ephraim turned to Assyria,(BR)
and sent to the great king for help.(BS)
But he is not able to cure(BT) you,
not able to heal your sores.(BU)
14 For I will be like a lion(BV) to Ephraim,
like a great lion to Judah.
I will tear them to pieces(BW) and go away;
I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them.(BX)
15 Then I will return to my lair(BY)
until they have borne their guilt(BZ)
and seek my face(CA)—
in their misery(CB)
they will earnestly seek me.(CC)”
Israel Unrepentant
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory
- Hosea 4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 5:7 Or Now their New Moon feasts / will devour them and
- Hosea 5:8 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
- Hosea 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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