Hosea 4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
God’s Case against Israel
4 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.[a][b](P)
5 You will stumble by day;(Q)
the prophet will also stumble with you by night.
And I will destroy your mother.(R)
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.(S)
Because you have rejected knowledge,(T)
I will reject you(U) from serving as My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,(V)
I will also forget your sons.
7 The more they multiplied,(W)
the more they sinned against Me.
I[c] will change their honor[d] into disgrace.(X)
8 They feed on the sin[e] of My people;(Y)
they have an appetite for their transgressions.(Z)
9 The same judgment will happen
to both people and priests.(AA)
I will punish them for their ways(AB)
and repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat but not be satisfied;(AC)
they will be promiscuous(AD) but not multiply.
For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord.(AE)
11 Promiscuity,(AF) wine, and new wine
take away one’s understanding.(AG)
12 My people consult their wooden idols,(AH)
and their divining rods inform them.
For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray;(AI)
they act promiscuously(AJ)
in disobedience to[f] their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops,(AK)
and they burn offerings on the hills,(AL)
and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,(AM)
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(AN)
and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes.(AO)
People without discernment are doomed.(AP)
Warnings for Israel and Judah
15 Israel, if you act promiscuously,
don’t let Judah become guilty!
Do not go to Gilgal(AQ)
or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven,[g](AR)
and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives!(AS)
16 For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow.(AT)
Can the Lord now shepherd them
like a lamb in an open meadow?(AU)
17 Ephraim is attached to idols;(AV)
leave him alone!(AW)
18 When their drinking is over,
they turn to promiscuity.
Israel’s leaders[h] fervently love disgrace.[i]
19 A wind with its wings will carry them off,[j](AX)
and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:4 Text emended; MT reads argue, and your people are like those contending with a priest
- Hosea 4:4 Hb obscure
- Hosea 4:7 Alt Hb tradition, Syr, Tg read They
- Hosea 4:7 Ancient Jewish tradition reads My honor
- Hosea 4:8 Or sin offerings
- Hosea 4:12 Lit promiscuously from under
- Hosea 4:15 = House of Wickedness
- Hosea 4:18 Lit Her shields; Ps 47:9; 89:18
- Hosea 4:18 Hb obscure
- Hosea 4:19 Lit wind will bind it in its wings
Hosea 4
International Standard Version
God Accuses Israel
4 “Hear this message from the Lord, people of Israel.
Indeed, the Lord brings a charge
against the people who live in the land—
for there is no truth and no gracious love
or knowledge of God in the land.
2 Swearing, lying, murder, theft, and adultery are rampant,
and blood mingles with blood.
3 Therefore the land will mourn,
and all who live there will languish,
along with the wild animals of the field and the birds of the air.
Even the fish in the sea will disappear.
4 “Let no one fight or bring charges against another,
for my dispute is with you, priest.
5 So you will stumble during the day,
the prophet also will stumble with you at night,
and I will destroy your mother.[a]
6 My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me.[b]
Because you rejected that knowledge,
I will reject you as a priest for me.
Since you forget the Law of your God,
I will also forget your children.
7 “The more they increased in number,[c]
the more they sinned against me,
so I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of my people;
they purpose in their heart to transgress.
9 So it will be: like people, like priest.
I will punish them for their lifestyles,
rewarding them according to their behavior.
10 They will eat,
but will not be satisfied.
They will engage in prostitution,
but they won’t increase,
because they have stopped listening to the Lord.
11 “Sexual immorality, wine, and fresh wine seduce the heart of my people.[d]
12 My people seek counsel from their piece of wood,
and their diviner’s rod[e] speaks to them.
For a spirit of prostitution causes them to go astray;
in their immorality they desert their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the mountain tops,
burning offerings on the hills,
under oaks, poplars, and terebinth[f] trees,
since their shade is very good.
Therefore your daughters are prostitutes
and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14 However, I’m not going to punish your daughters
when they commit prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because their men are themselves immoral—
they offer sacrifices with prostitutes.
These people who aren’t discerning will stumble.
15 “Even though you prostitute yourself, Israel—
let not Judah incur guilt—
don’t go to Gilgal,
or visit Beth-aven,
or swear an oath using the Lord’s name.[g]
16 For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn mule![h]
Nevertheless, will not the Lord feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?
17 Ephraim has become entwined with idols;
leave him alone!
18 While drinking to excess, they prostitute themselves.
They’re in love with dishonor.
19 A wind storm will carry them away in its embrace,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.”
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:5 I.e. Israel
- Hosea 4:6 The Heb. lacks of me
- Hosea 4:7 The Heb. lacks in number
- Hosea 4:11 So LXX. The Heb. lacks of my people
- Hosea 4:12 Lit. their carved wood
- Hosea 4:13 Or great
- Hosea 4:15 Lit. oath, ‘…as the Lord lives’
- Hosea 4:16 Or cow
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