Hosea 4

¹Heare the worde of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controuersie with the inhabitants of the lande, because there is no trueth nor mercie nor knowledge of God in the lande.

²By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and whoring they breake out, and blood toucheth blood.

³Therefore shall the land mourne, and euery one that dwelleth therein, shall be cut off, with the beasts of the fielde, and with the foules of the heauen, and also the fishes of the sea shall be taken away.

⁴Yet let none rebuke, nor reproue another: for thy people are as they that rebuke the Priest.

⁵Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the Prophet shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.

⁶My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge: because thou hast refused knowledge, I will also refuse thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me: and seeing thou hast forgotten the Lawe of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

⁷As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I chaunge their glorie into shame.

⁸They eate vp the sinnes of my people, and lift vp their mindes in their iniquitie.

⁹And there shalbe like people, like Priest: for I wil visite their wayes vpon them, and reward them their deedes.

¹⁰For they shall eate, and not haue ynough: they shall commit adulterie, and shall not increase, because they haue left off to take heede to ye Lord.

¹¹Whoredome, and wine, and newe wine take away their heart.