“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)

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Footnotes

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

“Let no one fight or bring charges against another,
    for my dispute is with you, priest.
So you will stumble during the day,
    the prophet also will stumble with you at night,
        and I will destroy your mother.[a]
My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me.[b]
    Because you rejected that knowledge,
        I will reject you as a priest for me.
Since you forget the Law of your God,
    I will also forget your children.

“The more they increased in number,[c]
    the more they sinned against me,
        so I will change their glory into shame.
They feed on the sin of my people;
    they purpose in their heart to transgress.
So it will be: like people, like priest.
    I will punish them for their lifestyles,
        rewarding them according to their behavior.
10 They will eat,
    but will not be satisfied.
They will engage in prostitution,
    but they won’t increase,
        because they have stopped listening to the Lord.

11 “Sexual immorality, wine, and fresh wine seduce the heart of my people.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 4:5 I.e. Israel
  2. Hosea 4:6 The Heb. lacks of me
  3. Hosea 4:7 The Heb. lacks in number
  4. Hosea 4:11 So LXX. The Heb. lacks of my people