1 H ear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy (a pleading contention) with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness, love, pity and mercy, or knowledge of God in the land.

¶ Hear the word of the LORD, ye sons of Israel; for the LORD contends with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the earth.

2 T here is nothing but swearing and breaking faith and killing and stealing and committing adultery; they break out, one bloodshed following close on another.

By swearing and lying and murdering and stealing and committing adultery, they prevailed, and blood touches blood.

3 T herefore shall the land mourn, and all who dwell in it shall languish, together with the wild beasts of the open country and the birds of the heavens; yes, the fishes of the sea also shall be collected and taken away.

Therefore the earth shall mourn, and every one that dwells therein shall be cut off, with the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven; and even the fishes of the sea shall be caught.

4 Y et let no man strive, neither let any man reprove, for with you is My contention, O priest.

Certainly man does not contend with nor reprehend man; for thy people are as those that resist the priest.

5 A nd you shall stumble in the daytime, and the prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; and I will destroy your mother.

Therefore thou shalt fall in the day, and the prophet shall also fall with thee by night, and I will cut off thy mother.

6 M y people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

¶ My people were cut off because they lacked wisdom; because thou hast rejected wisdom, I will cast thee out of the priesthood; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy sons.

7 T he more they increased and multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.

According to their greatness, so did they sin against me; therefore I will change their honour into shame.

8 T hey feed on the sin of My people and set their heart on their iniquity.

They eat up the sin of my people, and in their iniquity they raise up their soul.

9 A nd it shall be: Like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their doings.

The people shall become like the priest; and I will visit his ways upon him, and they shall reward him according to his doings.

10 F or they shall eat and not have enough; they shall play the harlot and beget no increase, because they have forsaken the Lord for harlotry;

For they shall eat and not be satisfied; they shall commit whoredom and shall not increase because they have quit showing hospitality unto the LORD.

11 H arlotry and wine and new wine take away the heart and the mind and the spiritual understanding.

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

12 M y people ask counsel of their wood, and their staff gives them oracles and instructs them. For the spirit of harlotry has led them astray and they have played the harlot, withdrawing themselves from subjection to their God.

¶ My people ask counsel of their wooden idol, and their stick declares unto them; for the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring under their gods.

13 T hey sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and they burn incense upon the hills and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because there the shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the harlot and your sons’ wives commit adultery.

They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, that had good shade; therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your daughters-in-law shall commit adultery.

14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for themselves go aside in order to be alone with women who prostitute themselves for gain, and they sacrifice at the altar with dedicated harlots. Therefore the people without understanding shall stumble and fall and come to ruin.

I will not visit upon your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor upon your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery: for they offer with whores, and they sacrifice with cult prostitutes; therefore the people without understanding shall fall.

15 T hough you, Israel, play the harlot and worship idols, let not Judah offend and become guilty; come not to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As the Lord lives.

Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah be guilty; and do not come unto Gilgal, neither go up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD lives,

16 F or Israel has behaved stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer. How then should he expect to be fed and treated by the Lord like a lamb in a large pasture?

for Israel has turned away as a wild heifer; shall the LORD now feed them as rams in a large place?

17 E phraim is joined to idols, let him alone.

Ephraim is given over to idols; leave him.

18 T heir drinking carousal over, they go habitually to play the harlot; rulers love shame more than her glory.

Their drink has become corrupted; they have committed whoredom continually; her princes love gifts, shamefully.

19 T he resistless wind has bound up in its wings or skirts, and they and their altars shall be put to shame because of their sacrifices.

The wind has bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.