III.
A people of apostasy
4:1—13:16
A.
The sins of Israel and the punishments of Jehovah
4:1—5:14
1.
Concerning the people in general
4:1-3
Hosea 4
:1
4:1
Hear the word of Jehovah,
O children of Israel;
For Jehovah has a
acontroversy With the inhabitants of the land.
For there is no
1faithfulness or kindness
And
bno knowledge of God in the land.
Hosea 4
:2
4:2
Rather there are swearing and deceiving and murder
And stealing and adultery;
They are violent,
And bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Hosea 4
:3
4:3
Because of this the land mourns,
And all the inhabitants languish within it,
With the beasts of the field
And with the birds of heaven;
Indeed, even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
2.
Concerning the priests
4:4-10
Hosea 4
:4
4:4
Yet let no man contend,
And let no man reprove;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
Hosea 4
:5
4:5
And 1you will stumble in the day,
And the prophet also will stumble
With you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
Hosea 4
:6
4:6
My people are destroyed
Because of a
alack of
1that knowledge.
For you have rejected
1that knowledge,
And I will reject you, so that you will not be a priest to Me;
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
Hosea 4
:7
4:7
The more
1they were multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into
ashame.
Hosea 4
:8
4:8
They feed on the sin of My people,
And
1their soul desires their iniquity.
Hosea 4
:9
4:9
And it will be that as it is with the people,
1so it will be with the priest;
Thus I will visit their ways upon them,
And I will recompense their doings to them.
Hosea 4
:10
4:10
And they will eat but will
anot be filled;
And they will commit fornication but will not increase;
For they have ceased giving heed to Jehovah.
3.
Concerning fornication, wine, and harlotries
4:11-14
Hosea 4
:11
4:11
Fornication and wine
And new wine
1take away
their heart.
Hosea 4
:12
4:12
My people inquire at their
1wooden post,
And their rod informs them of
things;
For a spirit of harlotries makes
them err,
And they have gone about as
aharlots away from their God.
Hosea 4
:13
4:13
Upon the tops of the mountains they offer sacrifices,
And upon the hills they burn incense,
Under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
Because its shade is good.
Therefore your daughters go about as harlots,
And your brides commit adultery.
Hosea 4
:14
4:14
I will not
1punish your daughters when they go about as harlots
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For
the men themselves go off with harlots,
And they offer sacrifices with the
2prostitutes;
And the people who have no understanding will be cast down.
4.
Concerning Israel's stubbornness
4:15-19
Hosea 4
:15
4:15
Though you, Israel, go about as a harlot,
Let not Judah trespass;
And do not come to
1aGilgal,
Nor go up to
2bBeth-aven,
Nor swear, As Jehovah lives.
Hosea 4
:16
4:16
For Israel is
astubborn,
Like a stubborn heifer;
Will Jehovah now pasture them
Like a lamb in a spacious place?
Hosea 4
:17
4:17
Ephraim is joined to idols;
Leave him alone.
Hosea 4
:18
4:18
Their liquor has ended;
They have given themselves up to harlotry;
Their
1rulers dearly love shame.
Hosea 4
:19
4:19
The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
