Hosea 4
4
God’s Charge Against Israel
1Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a #Is. 1:18; Hos. 12:2; Mic. 6:2charge against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy
Or #Jer. 4:22knowledge of God in the land.
2By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
3Therefore #Is. 24:4; 33:9; Jer. 4:28; 12:4; Amos 5:16; 8:8the land will mourn;
And #Zeph. 1:3everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
4“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those #Deut. 17:12who contend with the priest.
5Therefore you shall stumble #Jer. 15:8; Hos. 2:2, 5in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6#Is. 5:13My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
#Ezek. 22:26Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7“The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
#1 Sam. 2:30; Mal. 2:9I will change their glory into shame.
8They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their heart on their iniquity.
9And it shall be: #Is. 24:2; Jer. 5:30, 31; 2 Tim. 4:3, 4like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And reward them for their deeds.
10For #Lev. 26:26; Is. 65:13; Mic. 6:14; Hag. 1:6they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.
The Idolatry of Israel
11“Harlotry, wine, and new wine #Prov. 20:1; Is. 5:12; 28:7enslave the heart.
12My people ask counsel from their #Jer. 2:27wooden idols,
And their staff informs them.
For #Is. 44:19, 20the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.
13#Is. 1:29; 57:5, 7; Jer. 2:20; Ezek. 6:13; 20:28They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
#Amos 7:17; (Rom. 1:28–32)Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.
14“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a #Deut. 23:18ritual harlot.
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
15“Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
#Hos. 9:15; 12:11Do not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to #1 Kin. 12:29; Josh. 7:2; Hos. 10:8Beth Aven,
#Jer. 5:2; 44:26; Amos 8:14Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—
16“For Israel #Jer. 3:6; 7:24; 8:5; Zech. 7:11is stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in open country.
17“Ephraim is joined to idols,
#Matt. 15:14Let him alone.
18Their drink is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
#Mic. 3:11Her rulers dearly love dishonor.
19#Jer. 51:1The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And #Is. 1:29they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
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Hosea 4: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.