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

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

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

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

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 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 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 “ The more there were, the more they sinned against Me. I will change their shining-greatness 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 so they want them to sin more.

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

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

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

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

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

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

17 E phraim is joined to false gods. Let him alone.

Ephraim is given over to idols; leave him.

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

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

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