God’s Charge Against Israel

4 Hear the word of the Lord,You children of Israel,For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:

“There is no truth or mercyOr knowledge of God in the land.² By swearing and lying,Killing and stealing and committing adultery,They break all restraint,With bloodshed upon bloodshed.³ Therefore the land will mourn;And everyone who dwells there will waste awayWith the beasts of the fieldAnd 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 who contend with the priest.⁵ Therefore you shall stumble in the day;The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;And I will destroy your mother.⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.Because you have rejected knowledge,I also will reject you from being priest for Me;Because 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;I will change^[a] their glory^[a] into shame.⁸ They eat up the sin of My people;They set their heart on their iniquity.⁹ And it shall be: like people, like priest.So I will punish them for their ways,And reward them for their deeds.¹⁰ For they 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 enslave the heart.¹² My people ask counsel from their wooden idols,And their staff informs them.For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,And they have played the harlot against their God.¹³ They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,And burn incense on the hills,Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,Because their shade is good.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 ritual harlot.^[c]Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.

¹⁵ “Though you, Israel, play the harlot,Let not Judah offend.Do not come up to Gilgal,Nor go up to Beth Aven,Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—

¹⁶ “For Israel is stubbornLike a stubborn calf;Now the Lord will let them forageLike a lamb in open country.

¹⁷ “Ephraim is joined to idols,Let him alone.¹⁸ Their drink is rebellion,They commit harlotry continually.Her rulers dearly^[d] love dishonor.¹⁹ The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.