4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: 1960 There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.
4:2 There is only cursing, [That is, to pronounce a curse upon] lying and murder, stealing and adultery they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
4:3 Because of this the land mourns, [Or dries up] and all who live in it waste away the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying.
4:4 But let no man bring a charge, let no man accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.
4:5 You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother
4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
4:7 The more the priests increased, the more they sinned against me they exchanged [Syriac and an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition Masoretic Text I will exchange] their [Masoretic Text an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition my] Glory for something disgraceful.
4:8 They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness.
4:9 And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
4:10 They will eat but not have enough they will engage in prostitution but not increase, because they have deserted the LORD to give themselves
4:11 to prostitution, to old wine and new, which take away the understanding
4:12 of my people. They consult a wooden idol and are answered by a stick of wood. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray they are unfaithful to their God.
4:13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
4:14 I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine-prostitutes a people without understanding will come to rui
4:15 Though you commit adultery, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal do not go up to Beth Aven. [Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a name for Bethel, which means house of God).] And do not swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
4:16 The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow?
4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols leave him alone!
4:18 Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
4:19 A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame.