1 L isten to the Word of the Lord, O people of Israel, because He has something against the people of the land. “They are not faithful or kind, and no one in the land knows God.

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 T here is swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and sex sins. They are always hurting others, and there is one killing after another.

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 he land is filled with sorrow. Everyone who lives on it wastes away, together with the animals of the field and the birds of the sky. Even the fish of the sea are taken away.

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 “ Yet let no one put blame or guilt upon another. For your people are like those who argue with the religious leader.

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

5 Y ou will fall during the day, and the religious leaders will fall with you during the night. And I will destroy your 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 M y people are destroyed because they have not learned. You were not willing to learn. So I am not willing to have you be My religious leader. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I also will forget your children.

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 “ The more there were, the more they sinned against Me. I will change their shining-greatness into shame.

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

8 T hey feed on the sin of My people, and so they want them to sin more.

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

9 T he religious leaders will be punished the same as the people. I will punish them for what they have done.

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

10 T hey will eat, but not have enough. They will do sex sins, but the number of their children will not grow because they have not been faithful to the Lord. The Worship of False Gods

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 “ Their sinful ways and both old and new wine take away My people’s understanding.

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

12 T hey ask things of a wooden god and are answered by a stick of wood. A false spirit has led them the wrong way. They have not been faithful, and they have left their God.

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 give gifts in worship on the tops of the mountains and burn special perfume on the hills. They do this under oak, poplar and terebinth trees, because their shadow is pleasing. So your daughters are like women who sell the use of their bodies, and your brides do sex sins.

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 punish your daughters when they are like women who sell the use of their bodies, or your brides when they do sex sins. For the men themselves go with the sinful women to give gifts in worship to false gods. And people without understanding will be destroyed.

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 “ Even if you, Israel, are like women who sell the use of their bodies, do not let Judah become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal or up to Beth-aven. And do not swear, ‘As 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 T he people of Israel are strong-willed like a young cow. How then can the Lord feed them like a lamb in a large field?

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 joined to false gods. Let him alone.

Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.

18 T heir strong drink is gone. They are like women who sell the use of their bodies all the time. Their rulers love shame.

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

19 T he wind will carry them away, and they will be ashamed because they gave gifts to false gods.

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.