Hosea 4

4 ¹ Hear the word of our Father, children of Israel, for he has a case against the inhabitants of the land: there is no faithfulness, no steadfast love, and no knowledge of him in the land. ¹ 1 v1 Our Father brings a covenant case against his people — not as a distant judge, but as a wounded Father naming the faithfulness, love, and knowledge of him they have lost. ² There is only swearing and lying, murder and stealing and adultery they break all bounds and bloodshed follows bloodshed. ³ Therefore the land mourns and all who live in it waste away, together with the wild animals and the birds in the sky even the fish in the sea are swept away.

⁴ Yet let no one accuse, let no one lay blame for your people are like those who quarrel with the priest. ⁵ You stumble by day and the prophet stumbles with you by night and I will destroy your mother. ⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you as my priest because you have forgotten the law of your Father, I also will forget your children. ⁷ The more they increased, the more they sinned against me I will turn their glory into shame.

⁸ They feed on the sin of my people and set their hearts on their iniquity. ⁹ So it will be: like people, like priest. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. ¹⁰ They will eat but not be satisfied they will give themselves to prostitution but not multiply because they have forsaken our Father and abandoned his ways. ¹¹ Prostitution, wine and new wine take away good sense.

¹² My people consult a piece of wood and their staff gives them oracles for a spirit of prostitution has led them astray and they have played the prostitute, forsaking their Father. ¹³ They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth because their shade is pleasant. So your daughters turn to prostitution and your brides to adultery. ¹⁴ I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution nor your brides when they commit adultery for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and offer sacrifices with the temple prostitutes a people without understanding comes to ruin.

¹⁵ Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, let Judah not become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal do not go up to Beth-aven and do not swear, 'As surely as our Father lives.' ¹⁶ Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. Can our Father now pasture them like a lamb in an open meadow? ¹⁷ Ephraim is joined to idols leave him alone. ¹⁸ When their drink is gone, they give themselves to prostitution their rulers dearly love disgrace. ¹⁹ A wind has wrapped them in its wings and they will be ashamed because of their altars.