“But let no one bring a charge,
    let no one accuse another,
for your people are like those
    who bring charges against a priest.(A)
You stumble(B) day and night,
    and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother(C)
    my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.(D)

“Because you have rejected knowledge,
    I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law(E) of your God,
    I also will ignore your children.
The more priests there were,
    the more they sinned against me;
    they exchanged their glorious God[a](F) for something disgraceful.(G)
They feed on the sins of my people
    and relish their wickedness.(H)
And it will be: Like people, like priests.(I)
    I will punish both of them for their ways
    and repay them for their deeds.(J)

10 “They will eat but not have enough;(K)
    they will engage in prostitution(L) but not flourish,
because they have deserted(M) the Lord
    to give themselves 11 to prostitution;(N)
old wine(O) and new wine
    take away their understanding.(P)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory

Yet let no one protest,
        and let no one complain.

    Listen, priest, I am angry with your people.[a]
You will stumble by day;
        and at nighttime so will your prophet,
        and I will destroy your mother.
My people are destroyed
        from lack of knowledge.
    Since you have rejected knowledge,
        so I will reject you from serving me as a priest.
    Since you have forgotten the Instruction of your God,
        so also I will forget your children.
The more they increased,
        the more they sinned against me;
        they exchanged their glory for shame.
They feed on the sin of my people;
        they set their hearts on evil things.
The priest will be just like the people;
    I will punish them for their ways,
        and judge them for their deeds.
10 They will eat but not be satisfied;
    they will have sex like prostitutes,
        but they will not have children,
    because they have rejected the Lord
        to devote themselves to 11 false religious practices.

Description of Israel’s idolatry

    Wine and new wine
        destroy understanding.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 4:4 Heb uncertain