Hosea 4
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh’s Contention with Israel
4 (A)Listen to the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel,
For Yahweh has a (B)contention against the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is (C)no truth or [a]lovingkindness
Or (D)knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is (E)swearing of oaths, (F)deception, (G)murder, (H)stealing, and (I)adultery.
They break forth in violence so that (J)bloodshed [b]follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land (K)mourns,
And everyone who inhabits it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea [c]disappear.
4 Yet let no man (L)contend, and let no man offer reproof;
Indeed, your people are like those who (M)contend with the priest.
5 So you will (N)stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your (O)mother.
6 (P)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have (Q)rejected knowledge,
I also will (R)reject you from ministering as My priest.
Since you have (S)forgotten the (T)law of your God,
I Myself also will forget your children.
7 The more they (U)multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will (V)change their glory into disgrace.
8 They (W)eat the [d]sin of My people
And (X)lift up [e]their soul toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be like people, (Y)like priest;
So I will (Z)punish them for their ways
And cause their deeds to return to them.
10 (AA)They will eat, but not be satisfied;
They will (AB)play the harlot, but not break forth in number,
Because they have [f](AC)forsaken Yahweh to keep harlotry.
11 Harlotry, (AD)wine, and new wine take away a heart of wisdom.
12 My people (AE)ask their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand declares to them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing [g]from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the (AF)tops of the mountains
And [h](AG)burn incense on the hills,
(AH)Under oak, poplar, and terebinth
Because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters play the harlot,
And your [i]brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot
Or your [j]brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves go apart with harlots
And offer sacrifices with (AI)cult prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are [k]ruined.
15 Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Do not let Judah become guilty;
Also do not go to (AJ)Gilgal
Nor go up to Beth-aven
(AK)And swear the oath:
“As Yahweh lives!”
16 Since Israel is (AL)stubborn
Like a stubborn heifer,
[l]Can Yahweh now (AM)feed them
Like a lamb in a large field?
17 Ephraim is joined to (AN)idols;
(AO)Let him alone.
18 Their drink gone;
They play the harlot continually;
(AP)Their [m]rulers dearly love disgrace.
19 (AQ)The wind binds them up in its wings,
And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:1 Or loyalty
- Hosea 4:2 Lit touches
- Hosea 4:3 Lit are gathered up
- Hosea 4:8 Or sin offering
- Hosea 4:8 Lit his
- Hosea 4:10 Or forsaken Yahweh to practice (v 11) harlotry; lit forsaken giving heed
- Hosea 4:12 Lit from under
- Hosea 4:13 Or offer sacrifices
- Hosea 4:13 Or daughters-in-law
- Hosea 4:14 Or daughters-in-law
- Hosea 4:14 Lit thrust down
- Hosea 4:16 Or Now Yahweh will pasture...field
- Hosea 4:18 Lit shields
Hosea 4
New International Version
The Charge Against Israel
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge(A) to bring
against you who live in the land:(B)
“There is no faithfulness,(C) no love,
no acknowledgment(D) of God in the land.(E)
2 There is only cursing,[a] lying(F) and murder,(G)
stealing(H) and adultery;(I)
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.(J)
3 Because of this the land dries up,(K)
and all who live in it waste away;(L)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.(M)
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.(N)
5 You stumble(O) day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother(P)—
6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(Q)
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(R) 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[b](S) for something disgraceful.(T)
8 They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.(U)
9 And it will be: Like people, like priests.(V)
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.(W)
10 “They will eat but not have enough;(X)
they will engage in prostitution(Y) but not flourish,
because they have deserted(Z) the Lord
to give themselves 11 to prostitution;(AA)
old wine(AB) and new wine
take away their understanding.(AC)
12 My people consult a wooden idol,(AD)
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.(AE)
A spirit of prostitution(AF) leads them astray;(AG)
they are unfaithful(AH) to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,(AI) poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.(AJ)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution(AK)
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.(AL)
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(AM)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(AN)—
a people without understanding(AO) will come to ruin!(AP)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(AQ)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[c](AR)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(AS)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(AT)
like a stubborn heifer.(AU)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(AV) 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(AW) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(AX)
Footnotes
- Hosea 4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on
- 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).
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