Hosea

¹ Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.

² stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

³ and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying.

⁴ let no man accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.

⁵ and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother—

⁶ “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

⁷ the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful.

⁸ and relish their wickedness.

⁹ I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.

¹⁰ they will engage in prostitution but not increase, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves

¹¹ to old wine and new, which take away the understanding

¹² They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.

¹³ and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

¹⁴ when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes— a people without understanding will come to ruin!

¹⁵ let not Judah become guilty. “Do not go to Gilgal; do not go up to Beth Aven. And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’

¹⁶ like a stubborn heifer. How then can the Lord pasture them like lambs in a meadow?

¹⁷ leave him alone!

¹⁸ they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways.

¹⁹ and their sacrifices will bring them shame.