Hosea 4 — Legacy Standard Bible

Yahweh’s Contention with Israel

4^aListen to the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel,For Yahweh has a ^bcontention against the inhabitants of the land,Because there is ^cno truth or ¹lovingkindnessOr ^dknowledge of God in the land.²There is ^aswearing of oaths, ^bdeception, ^cmurder, ^dstealing, and ^eadultery.They break forth in violence so that ^fbloodshed ¹follows bloodshed.³Therefore the land ^amourns,And everyone who inhabits it languishesAlong with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,And also the fish of the sea ¹disappear.⁴Yet let no man ^acontend, and let no man offer reproof;Indeed, your people are like those who ^bcontend with the priest.⁵So you will ^astumble by day,And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;And I will destroy your ^bmother.⁶^aMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.Because you have ^brejected knowledge,I also will ^creject you from ministering as My priest.Since you have ^dforgotten the ^elaw of your God,I Myself also will forget your children.⁷The more they ^amultiplied, the more they sinned against Me;I will ^bchange their glory into disgrace.⁸They ^aeat the ¹sin of My peopleAnd ^blift up ²their soul toward their iniquity.⁹And it will be like people, ^alike priest;So I will ^bpunish them for their waysAnd cause their deeds to return to them.¹⁰^aThey will eat, but not be satisfied;They will ^bplay the harlot, but not break forth in number,Because they have ¹^,^cforsaken Yahweh to keep harlotry.¹¹Harlotry, ^awine, and new wine take away a heart of wisdom.¹²My people ^aask their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand declares to them;For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,And they have played the harlot, departing ¹from their God.¹³They offer sacrifices on the ^atops of the mountainsAnd ¹^,^bburn incense on the hills,^cUnder oak, poplar, and terebinthBecause their shade is good.Therefore your daughters play the harlot,And your ²brides commit adultery.¹⁴I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlotOr your ¹brides when they commit adultery,For the men themselves go apart with harlotsAnd offer sacrifices with ^acult prostitutes;So the people without understanding are ²ruined.¹⁵Though you, Israel, play the harlot,Do not let Judah become guilty;Also do not go to ^aGilgalNor go up to Beth-aven^bAnd swear the oath:“As Yahweh lives!”¹⁶Since Israel is ^astubbornLike a stubborn heifer,¹Can Yahweh now ^bfeed themLike a lamb in a large field?¹⁷Ephraim is joined to ^aidols;^bLet him alone.¹⁸Their drink gone;They play the harlot continually;^aTheir ¹rulers dearly love disgrace.¹⁹^aThe wind binds them up in its wings,And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.