Old Testament · Prophets
Hosea chapter 4
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Listen to what Yahweh is saying, people of Israel — Yahweh has a to bring against everyone living in this land: There is no , no , and no anywhere in the land.Instead — cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They’ve , and .Because of this, the land itself is — everything living in it is wasting away: the wild animals, the birds in the sky, even the fish in the sea are disappearing.But let no one point fingers, let no one accuse — because my , priest, is with you.You by day, and the prophet stumbles with you by night — and I will destroy .My people are being destroyed for lack of . Because you rejected knowledge, I reject you from serving as my priest. Because you forgot the of your God, I will forget your children too.The more priests there were, the more they failed me. They traded their for something disgraceful.They feed on the of my people and crave their .And it will be the same for priest as for people — I will punish them for their ways and for what they’ve done.They will eat but never be full. They will but never have children — because they abandoned Yahweh to give themselves to other gods.Wine and .My people ask for answers and expect a stick to tell them the future. A has led them astray — they have , abandoning their God.On the they make their sacrifices, and on the hills they burn their offerings — under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because the shade is so pleasant. That is why your daughters and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.I will not punish your daughters for selling their bodies or your daughters-in-law for their adultery, because the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with . A people without will be ruined.Even if you, Israel, play the unfaithful lover — don’t let Judah become guilty too. Don’t go to , don’t go up to , and don’t swear, ‘As Yahweh lives.’Israel is as stubborn as a — so how can Yahweh them like a lamb in an open meadow? is his — leave him alone.When their drinking is done, they . Their rulers dearly love their .A has , and their sacrifices will leave them .