Hosea4

Hosea 4 opens with God's controversy against Israel for their pervasive lack of truth, mercy, and knowledge of God, manifested in widespread sin. The nation, including its priests, is depicted as being destroyed for rejecting divine knowledge and engaging in spiritual whoredom and idolatry. Consequently, both the land and its people face severe judgment, as their glory will be turned to shame.

The LORD’s Controversy with Israel

1
`Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife is to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor knowledge of God, in the land,
2
Swearing, and lying, and murdering, And stealing, and committing adultery--have increased, And blood against blood hath touched.
3
Therefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea--they are removed.

The Failure of the Priests and People

4
Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And thy people are as those striving with a priest.
5
And thou hast stumbled in the day, And stumbled hath also a prophet with thee in the night, And I have cut off thy mother.
6
Cut off have been My people for lack of knowledge, Because thou knowledge hast rejected, I reject thee from being priest to Me, And thou forgettest the law of thy God, I forget thy sons, I also!

Judgment on the Corrupt Leaders

7
According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change.
8
The sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.
9
And it hath been, like people, like priest, And I have charged on it its ways, And its habitual doings I return to it.
10
And they have eaten, and are not satisfied, They have gone a-whoring, and increase not, For they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

Idolatry and Spiritual Harlotry

11
Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,
12
My people at its staff asketh and its rod declareth to it, For a spirit of whoredoms hath caused to err, And they go a-whoring from under their God.
13
On tops of the mountains they do sacrifice, And on the hills they make perfume, Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, For good is its shade.
14
Therefore commit whoredom do your daughters, And your spouses commit adultery, I do not see after your daughters when they commit whoredom, And after your spouses when they commit adultery, For they with the harlots are separated, And with the whores they do sacrifice, A people that doth not understand kicketh.

A Warning to Judah

15
Though a harlot thou art , O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.
16
For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.
17
Joined to idols is Ephraim, let him alone.
18
Sour is their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly.
19
Distressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!
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