Hosea 4
Expanded Bible
The Lord’s Word Against Israel
4 ·People [L Sons; T Children] of Israel, ·listen to the Lord’s message [hear the word of the Lord].
The Lord has a ·charge [case; lawsuit; or dispute] to bring
against you who live in the land:
“·The people are not true, not loyal to God [L There is no truth/faithfulness, there is no mercy/lovingkindness],
nor do those who live in the land even know him [there is no knowledge of God in the land].
2 [L There is only] Cursing, lying, ·killing [murder], stealing and adultery are everywhere.
·One murder follows another [L They break out and blood touches blood].
3 Because of this the land ·dries up [or mourns],
and all its ·people [inhabitants] ·are dying [languish; waste away].
Even the ·wild animals [L beasts of the field] and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are ·dying [gathered; taken/swept away].
God’s Case Against the Priests
4 “·No one should [Let no one] ·accuse [bring a charge]
or ·blame [contend against] another person.
·Don’t blame the people, you priests,
when they quarrel with you [or For my case is against you, the priests].
5 You will ·be ruined [stumble] in the day,
and your prophets will ·be ruined [stumble] with you in the night.
I will also destroy your mother [C Israel].
6 My people ·will be [or are being] destroyed,
because they ·have no [lack] knowledge.
You have ·refused to learn [rejected knowledge; or failed to acknowledge me],
so I will ·refuse to let you be [reject you as] priests to me.
You have forgotten the ·teachings [law; C Hebrew: Torah] of your God,
so I will forget your children.
7 The more priests ·there are [increase],
the more they sin against me.
·I will take away their honor
and give them shame
[or They have exchanged the glory of God
for the shamefulness (of idols); Rom. 1:23].
8 Since the priests ·live off [L eat; feed on] the ·sin offerings [or sin] of the people,
they ·want the people to sin more and more [relish/long for their iniquity].
9 ·The priests are as wrong as the people [L And it will be: like people, like priest],
and I will punish them both for ·what they have done [their ways].
I will repay them for the ·wrong [L acts; deeds] they have done.
10 “They will eat
but not have enough;
they will ·have sexual relations with the prostitutes [or behave like prostitutes],
but they will not ·have children [or gain anything; L multiply; increase],
because they have ·left [deserted; abandoned] the Lord
to give themselves to 11 ·prostitution [immorality],
to old and new wine,
which take away ·their ability to understand [L the heart].
God’s Case Against the People
12 “My people ask wooden idols for ·advice [counsel];
they ask ·those sticks of wood [or divining rods/staffs] to advise them!
·Like prostitutes, they have chased after other gods [L A spirit/wind of prostitution leads/blows them astray]
·and have left [committing adultery against; being unfaithful to] their own God.
13 They make sacrifices on the tops of the mountains [C places of pagan worship].
They burn offerings on the hills,
under oaks, poplars, and ·other trees [terebinths],
because their shade is ·nice [pleasant].
So your daughters become prostitutes [C cultic prostitutes in pagan temples],
and your daughters-in-law are guilty of adultery.
14 “But I will not punish your daughters
for becoming prostitutes,
nor your daughters-in-law
for their sins of adultery.
I will not punish them,
because the men ·have sexual relations [go off] with prostitutes
and offer sacrifices with the ·temple [cult; shrine] prostitutes.
A ·foolish people [people without knowledge/discernment] will be ·ruined [destroyed].
15 “Israel, you ·act like a prostitute [or commit adultery],
but do not let Judah be guilty toward the Lord.
Don’t go to Gilgal [C a city where false worship was taking place]
or go up to Beth Aven [C “house of wickedness,” a derogatory name for Bethel, “house of God”].
Don’t ·make promises [swear],
saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives…’
16 The people of Israel are stubborn
like a stubborn ·young cow [heifer].
·Now the Lord will [or Should the Lord now…?] feed them
like lambs in ·the open country [a broad meadow].
17 ·The Israelites [L Ephraim; C the leading tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel] ·have chosen to worship [L is joined to] idols,
so leave ·them [L him] alone.
18 When they finish their drinking,
they ·completely [or constantly] ·give themselves to being prostitutes [engage in prostitution; or go off with prostitutes];
·they [or their rulers; L their shields] love these ·disgraceful [shameful] ways.
19 They will be ·swept away as if by [wrapped up in] a whirlwind,
and their sacrifices will bring them only shame.
Hosea 4
Amplified Bible
God’s Controversy with Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel,
For the Lord has a [legal] case with the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is no faithfulness [no steadfast love, no dependability] or loyalty or kindness
Or knowledge of God [from personal experience with Him] in the land.
2
There is [false] swearing of oaths, deception (broken faith), murder, stealing, and adultery;
They employ violence, so that one [act of] bloodshed follows closely on another.
3
Therefore the land [continually] mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes [in tragic suffering]
Together with the animals of the open country and the birds of the heavens;
Even the fish of the sea disappear.
4
Yet let no one find fault, nor let any rebuke [others];
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5
So you will stumble in the daytime,
And the [false] prophet will also stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother (Israel).(A)
6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will].
Because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge,
I will also reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I will also forget your children.
7
The more they multiplied [in numbers and increased in power], the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
8
They (the priests) [a]feed on the sin offering of My people
And set their heart on their wickedness.(B)
9
And it shall be: like people, like priest [both are wicked and both will be judged];
So I will punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
10
They will eat, but not have enough;
They will play the prostitute, but not increase [their descendants],
Because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.
11
Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away the mind and the [spiritual] understanding.
12
My people consult their [lifeless] wooden idol, and their [diviner’s] wand gives them oracles.
For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray [morally and spiritually],
And they have played the prostitute, withdrawing themselves from their God.
13
They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because the shade is pleasant there.
Therefore your daughters play the prostitute
And your brides commit adultery.
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 [b]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?
17
Ephraim is joined to idols,
So let him alone [to suffer the consequences].
18
When their liquor is gone [and their drinking parties are over],
They habitually go to play the prostitute;
Ephraim’s rulers continue to dearly love shame [more than her glory which is the Lord, Israel’s God].
19
The wind [of God’s relentless wrath] has wrapped up Israel in its wings,
And [in captivity] they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices [to calves, to sun, to moon, to stars, and to pagan gods].
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:8 As the people increased their rebellious behavior, they offered more sacrifices to atone for their sins, implying a greater portion of food for the priests. See Lev 7:7, 8.
- Hosea 4:15 A contemptuous reference to Bethel (House of God, the place of Jacob’s dream, Gen 28:10-19), noted for idolatry.
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