CHAPTER 4
1 Sons of Israel, hear ye the word of the Lord, for why doom is to the Lord with the dwellers of earth; for why truth is not, and mercy is not, and knowing of the Lord is not in earth. (Israelites, hear ye the word of the Lord, for judgement is with the Lord for the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, or love, or knowledge of the Lord, in the land.)
2 Curse, and leasing, and man-quelling, and theft, and adultery flowed, and blood touched blood. (Curses, and lies, and man-killing, or murder, and theft, and adultery flowed, and blood touched blood.)
3 For this thing the earth shall mourn, and each that dwelleth in that land shall be sick, in the beast of the field, and in the bird of the air; but also the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together. (For this thing the land shall mourn, and everyone who liveth in that land shall die, and with them the wild beasts, and the birds of the air; and even the fish of the sea shall be gathered together, and taken away.)
4 Nevertheless each man deem not, and a man be not reproved; for thy people is as they that against-say the priest. (Nevertheless let no one judge the people, and let no one rebuke them; for my quarrel is with you, false priest/s.)
5 And thou shalt fall today, and the prophet also shall fall with thee; in the night I made thy mother to be still (or and in the night I shall make thy mother Israel to die).
6 My people was still, for it had not knowing; for thou hast put away knowing, I shall put thee away, that thou use not priesthood to me; and for thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, also I shall forget thy sons. (My people were destroyed, for they had no knowledge; and for thou hast put away knowledge, I shall put thee away, so that thou be not my priests, or My people were destroyed, for they did not acknowledge me; and for thou hast not acknowledged me, I shall put thee away, so that thou be not my priests; and for thou hast forgotten the Law, or the teaching, of thy God, I shall also forget thy sons and daughters.)
7 By the multitude of them, so they sinned against me. I shall change the glory of them into shame.
8 They shall eat (from) the sins of my people, and they shall raise (up) the souls of them to the wickedness of them.
9 And it shall be, as the people, so the priest; and I shall visit on him the ways of him, and I shall yield to him the thoughts of him. (And it shall be, as for the people, so for the priests; and I shall punish them for their ways, and I shall repay them for their deeds.)
10 And they shall eat, and they shall not be [ful] filled; they did fornication, and ceased not, for they forsook the Lord in not keeping (his word). (And they shall eat, but they shall not be fulfilled; for they worshipped idols, and ceased not, yea, they deserted the Lord, and followed other gods.)
11 Fornication, and wine, and drunkenness do away the heart. (Wine and drunkenness do away clear thinking.)
12 My people asked in his tree, and the staff thereof told to it; for the spirit of fornication deceived them, and they did fornication, (going away) from their God. (My people asked for counsel, or advice, from their piece of wood, and a staff, or a stick, told them what to do; and so the spirit of adultery, or of idolatry, deceived them, and they did adultery, or idolatry, and went away from their God.)
13 On the heads, either tops, of mountains they made sacrifice, and on the little hills they burnt incense under an oak, and a poplar, and a terebinth, for the shadow thereof was good. Therefore your daughters shall do fornication, and your wives shall be adulteresses. (On the tops of the mountains they made sacrifice, and on the little hills they burned incense under an oak, and a poplar, and a terebinth, for its shadow was good. And so your daughters do adultery, or idolatry, and your wives be adulteresses.)
14 I shall not visit on your daughters, when they do fornication, and on your wives, when they do adultery; for they lived with whores, and made sacrifice with men turned into women’s conditions. And the people that understandeth not, shall be beaten. (Yet I shall not punish your daughters, when they do adultery, or idolatry, and your wives, when they also do adultery, or idolatry; for ye yourselves have sought out whores, and made sacrifice to idols. And so the people who understandeth not, shall bring ruin upon themselves.)
15 If thou, Israel, doest fornication, namely (thou) Judah, trespass not; and do not ye enter into Gilgal, and go ye not into Bethaven, neither swear ye, The Lord liveth. (Even if thou, Israel, doest adultery, or idolatry, do not thou, Judah, trespass; and do not ye go to Gilgal, and go ye not to Bethaven, nor swear ye, As the Lord liveth.)
16 For as a wild cow Israel bowed away; now the Lord shall feed them as a lamb in broadness. (For Israel hath run away like a wild cow; but now the Lord shall feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture.)
17 Ephraim*is the partner of idols, leave thou him;
18 the feast of them is parted. By fornication they did fornication, the defenders thereof loved to bring shame. (their feast is over; they did adultery after adultery, that is, idolatry after idolatry, and they loved shame more than honour, or glory.)
19 The spirit bound him in his wings (or The wind shall bind them up in its wings), and they shall be ashamed of their sacrifices.
* CHAPTER 4:17 Throughout Hosea (and also Isaiah), Ephraim is another name for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, consisting of the Ten Tribes.