The Lord Accuses Israel

(A)Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
    for (B)the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
    and (C)no knowledge of God in the land;
(D)there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
    they break all bounds, and (E)bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Therefore (F)the land mourns,
    and all who dwell in it languish,
(G)and also the beasts of the field
    and the birds of the heavens,
    (H)and even the fish of the sea are taken away.

(I)Yet let no one contend,
    and let none accuse,
    for with you is (J)my contention, O priest.[a]
You shall stumble by day;
    the prophet also shall stumble with you by night;
    and I will destroy (K)your mother.
My people are destroyed (L)for lack of knowledge;
    (M)because you have rejected knowledge,
    I reject you (N)from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
    (O)I also will forget your children.

(P)The more they increased,
    the more they sinned against me;
    (Q)I will change their glory into shame.
(R)They feed on the sin[b] of my people;
    they are greedy for their iniquity.
(S)And it shall be like people, like priest;
    I will punish them for their ways
    and repay them for their deeds.
10 (T)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 (U)take away the understanding.
12 My people (V)inquire of a piece of wood,
    and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For (W)a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
    and they have left their God to play the whore.
13 (X)They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains
    and burn offerings on the hills,
(Y)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 (Z)the men themselves go aside with prostitutes
    and sacrifice with (AA)cult prostitutes,
and a people (AB)without understanding shall come to ruin.

15 Though you play the whore, O (AC)Israel,
    let not (AD)Judah become guilty.
(AE)Enter not into (AF)Gilgal,
    nor go up to (AG)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 (AH)Ephraim is joined to idols;
    (AI)leave him alone.
18 When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring;
    (AJ)their rulers[c] dearly love shame.
19 (AK)A wind has wrapped them[d] in its wings,
    and they shall (AL)be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 4:4 Or for your people are like those who contend with the priest
  2. Hosea 4:8 Or sin offering
  3. Hosea 4:18 Hebrew shields
  4. Hosea 4:19 Hebrew her

Controversia del Señor con Israel

Hijos de Israel, ¡oigan la palabra del Señor! El Señor ha entablado un pleito contra los habitantes de la tierra, porque ya no hay en la tierra verdad ni misericordia, ni conocimiento de Dios; en cambio, abundan el perjurio, la mentira, las muertes, los robos, los adulterios, y homicidio tras homicidio. Por eso la tierra está de luto, y desfallecen todos sus habitantes. Por eso mueren las bestias del campo, las aves del cielo, y aun los peces del mar.

«¡Que nadie entable pleito con nadie, ni reprenda a nadie! ¡Tu pueblo parece estar en pleito con los sacerdotes! Por eso caerás durante el día, y contigo caerá también el profeta durante la noche, y a tu madre la destruiré. Mi pueblo ha sido destruido porque le faltó conocimiento. Puesto que tú desechaste el conocimiento, yo te desecharé del sacerdocio; puesto que te olvidaste de la ley de tu Dios, también yo me olvidaré de tus hijos.

»Mientras más numerosos se hicieron, más pecaron contra mí. Por eso yo cambié su honra en afrenta. Se alimentan con el pecado de mi pueblo; sacian su apetito con su maldad. ¡De tal pueblo, tal sacerdote! Pero yo los castigaré por su conducta; ¡les daré lo que merecen sus acciones! 10 Comerán, pero no se saciarán; se prostituirán, pero no tendrán hijos, porque dejaron de servir al Señor.

11 »La prostitución, el vino y el mosto hacen que se pierda el juicio. 12 Mi pueblo le pregunta a su ídolo de palo, y ese palo le responde. Su espíritu de prostitución los hizo errar; abandonaron a su Dios para prostituirse. 13 Sobre las cimas de los montes ofrecieron sacrificios; sobre las colinas, y debajo de las encinas y álamos y olmos que tenían buena sombra quemaron incienso; por eso se prostituyeron sus hijas y sus nueras cometieron adulterio. 14 Pero no castigaré a sus hijas cuando se prostituyan, ni a sus nueras cuando cometan adulterio, porque ellos mismos se van con rameras, y ofrecen sacrificios con mujeres de mala fama. Por eso tropieza el pueblo falto de entendimiento.

15 »Pero si tú, Israel, te prostituyes, que por lo menos Judá no peque. Y no entren en Gilgal, ni vayan a Bet Avén, ni juren: “¡Vive el Señor!” 16 Porque Israel se apartó del camino, como novilla indómita. ¿Y ahora quieren que el Señor los cuide en amplios pastos, como si fueran corderos?

17 »Efraín se inclina por los ídolos; ¡déjenlo! 18 Se corrompe con su bebida; se prostituye sin descanso; sus príncipes aman lo que es vergonzoso. 19 El viento los atrapó en sus alas, y por sus sacrificios serán avergonzados.

Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.

They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.

And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.

13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.

15 Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The Lord liveth.

16 For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

17 Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

18 Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye.

19 The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.