1 ` Hear a word of Jehovah, sons of Israel, For a strife to Jehovah with inhabitants of the land, For there is no truth, nor kindness, Nor 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 S wearing, and lying, and murdering, And stealing, and committing adultery -- have increased, And blood against blood hath touched.

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

3 T herefore mourn doth the land, And weak is every dweller in it, With the beast of the field, And with the fowl of the heavens, And the fishes of the sea -- they are removed.

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 O nly, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, And thy people as those striving with a priest.

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

5 A nd thou hast stumbled in the day, And stumbled hath also a prophet with thee in the night, And I have cut off thy 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 C ut off have been My people for lack of knowledge, Because thou knowledge hast rejected, I reject thee from being priest to Me, And thou forgettest the law of thy God, I forget thy sons, I also!

¶ 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 A ccording to their abundance so they sinned against Me, Their honour into shame I change.

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

8 T he sin of My people they do eat, And unto their iniquity lift up their soul.

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

9 A nd it hath been, like people, like priest, And I have charged on it its ways, And its habitual doings I return to it.

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 A nd they have eaten, and are not satisfied, They have gone a-whoring, and increase not, For they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.

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 W horedom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart,

Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

12 M y people at its staff asketh and its rod declareth to it, For a spirit of whoredoms hath caused to err, And they go a-whoring from under 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 O n tops of the mountains they do sacrifice, And on the hills they make perfume, Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, For good its shade.

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 T herefore commit whoredom do your daughters, And your spouses commit adultery, I do not see after your daughters when they commit whoredom, And after your spouses when they commit adultery, For they with the harlots are separated, And with the whores they do sacrifice, A people that doth not understand kicketh.

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 a harlot thou, O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.

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 as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.

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

17 J oined to idols Ephraim, let him alone.

Ephraim is given over to idols; leave him.

18 S our their drink, They have gone diligently a-whoring, Her protectors have loved shame thoroughly.

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

19 D istressed her hath wind with its wings, And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!

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