Hosea 4

¹Give ear to the word of the Lord, O children of Israel; for the Lord has a cause against the people of this land, because there is no good faith in it, and no mercy and no knowledge of God in the land.

²There is cursing and broken faith, violent death and attacks on property, men are untrue in married life, houses are broken into, and there is blood touching blood.

³Because of this the land will be dry, and everyone living in it will be wasted away, with the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven; even the fishes of the sea will be taken away.

⁴Let no man go to law or make protests, for your people are like those who go to law with a priest.

⁵You will not be able to keep on your feet by day, and by night the prophet will be falling down with you, and I will give your mother to destruction.

⁶Destruction has overtaken my people because they have no knowledge; because you have given up knowledge, I will give you up, so that you will be no priest to me, because you have not kept in mind the law of your God, I will not keep your children in my memory.

⁷Even while they were increasing in number they were sinning against me; I will let their glory be changed into shame.

⁸The sin of my people is like food to them; and their desire is for their wrongdoing.

⁹And the priest will be like the people; I will give them punishment for their evil ways, and the reward of their acts.

¹⁰They will have food, but they will not be full; they will be false to me, but they will not be increased, because they no longer give thought to the Lord.