Hosea 4
New International Version

The Charge Against Israel

4 Hear the word of theLord, you Israelites,
    because theLordhas a charge^(A)to bring
    against you who live in the land:^(B)
“There is no faithfulness,^(C)no love,
    no acknowledgment^(D)of God in the land.^(E)
²There is only cursing,^[a]lying^(F)and murder,^(G)
    stealing^(H)and adultery;^(I)
they break all bounds,
    and bloodshed follows bloodshed.^(J)
³Because of this the land dries up,^(K)
    and all who live in it waste away;^(L)
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
    and the fish in the sea are swept away.^(M)

⁴“But let no one bring a charge,
    let no one accuse another,
for your people are like those
    who bring charges against a priest.^(N)
⁵You stumble^(O)day and night,
    and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother^(P)—
⁶    my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.^(Q)

“Because you have rejected knowledge,
    I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law^(R)of your God,
    I also will ignore your children.
⁷The more priests there were,
    the more they sinned against me;
    they exchanged their glorious God^[b]^(S)for something disgraceful.^(T)
⁸They feed on the sins of my people
    and relish their wickedness.^(U)
⁹And it will be: Like people, like priests.^(V)
    I will punish both of them for their ways
    and repay them for their deeds.^(W)

¹⁰“They will eat but not have enough;^(X)
    they will engage in prostitution^(Y)but not flourish,
because they have deserted^(Z)theLord
    to give themselves¹¹to prostitution;^(AA)
old wine^(AB)and new wine
    take away their understanding.^(AC)
¹²My people consult a wooden idol,^(AD)
    and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.^(AE)
A spirit of prostitution^(AF)leads them astray;^(AG)
    they are unfaithful^(AH)to their God.
¹³They sacrifice on the mountaintops
    and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,^(AI)poplar and terebinth,
    where the shade is pleasant.^(AJ)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution^(AK)
    and your daughters-in-law to adultery.^(AL)

¹⁴“I will not punish your daughters
    when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
    when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots^(AM)
    and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes^(AN)—
    a people without understanding^(AO)will come to ruin!^(AP)

¹⁵“Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.

“Do not go to Gilgal;^(AQ)
    do not go up to Beth Aven.^[c]^(AR)
    And do not swear, ‘As surely as theLordlives!’^(AS)
¹⁶The Israelites are stubborn,^(AT)
    like a stubborn heifer.^(AU)
How then can theLordpasture them
    like lambs^(AV)in a meadow?
¹⁷Ephraim is joined to idols;
    leave him alone!
¹⁸Even when their drinks are gone,
    they continue their prostitution;
    their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
¹⁹A whirlwind^(AW)will sweep them away,
    and their sacrifices will bring them shame.^(AX)

Footnotes

Hosea 4:2That is, to pronounce a curse on
Hosea 4:7Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Textme; / I will exchange their glory
Hosea 4:15Beth Avenmeanshouse of wickedness(a derogatory name for Bethel, which meanshouse of God).