Hosea 4:1-6

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)
²There is only cursing,^[a] lying^(F) and murder,^(G)
    stealing^(H) and adultery;^(I)
they break all bounds,
    and bloodshed follows bloodshed.^(J)
³Because 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)
⁵You 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.

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