God’s Charge Against Israel

Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a (A)charge[a] against the inhabitants of the land:

“There is no truth or mercy
Or (B)knowledge of God in the land.
By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed [b]upon bloodshed.
Therefore (C)the land will mourn;
And (D)everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 4:1 A legal complaint
  2. Hosea 4:2 Lit. touching

Yahweh Has an Indictment

Hear the word of Yahweh, O children of Israel,
for Yahweh has an indictment against the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or loyalty,
    there is no knowledge of God in the land.
Swearing and lying,
    murdering and stealing,
        and adultery break out,[a]
    and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Therefore the land mourns,
    and all those living in it languish
with the animals of the field,
    and the birds of the heaven,
    and even the fish of the sea
        are being swept away.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 4:2 The LXX adds “and adultery breaks out in the land”