1 ¶ 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.

Hear 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.

2 B y swearing and lying and murdering and stealing and committing adultery, they prevailed, and blood touches blood.

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

3 T herefore 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.

Therefore 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.

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

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

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

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

6 ¶ 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.

My 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.

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

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

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

They feed on the sin of My people and set their heart on their iniquity.

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

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

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

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

11 W horedom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

Harlotry and wine and new wine take away the heart and the mind and the spiritual understanding.

12 ¶ 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.

My 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.

13 T hey 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.

They 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.

14 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.

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.

15 T hough 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,

Though 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.

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

For 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?

17 E phraim is given over to idols; leave him.

Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.

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

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

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

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