1 “Hear a word of YHWH, sons of Israel, || For a strife [is] to YHWH with inhabitants of the land, || For there is no truth, nor kindness, || Nor knowledge of God in the land; 2 Swearing, and lying, and murdering, || And stealing, and committing adultery—have increased, || And blood has touched against blood. 3 Therefore the land mourns, || And every dweller is weak in it, || With the beast of the field, || And with the bird of the heavens, || And the fishes of the sea—they are removed. 4 Only, let no one strive, nor reprove a man, || And your people [are] as those striving with a priest. 5 And you have stumbled in the day, || And a prophet has also stumbled with you in the night, || And I have cut off your mother. 6 My people have been cut off for lack of knowledge, || Because you have rejected knowledge, || I reject you from being priest to Me, || And you forget the Law of your God—I forget your sons, I also! 7 According to their abundance so they sinned against Me, || I change their glory into shame. 8 The sin of My people they eat, || And to their iniquity lift up their soul. 9 And it has been, like people, like priest, || And I have charged on it its ways, || And its habitual doings I return to it. 10 And they have eaten, and are not satisfied, || They have gone whoring, and do not increase, || For they have left off taking heed to YHWH. 11 Whoredom, and wine, and new wine, take the heart, 12 My people at its staff asks and its rod declares to it, || For a spirit of whoredoms has caused to err, || And they go whoring from under their God. 13 On tops of the mountains they sacrifice, || And on the hills they make incense, || Under oak, and poplar, and terebinth, || For good [is] its shade. 14 Therefore your daughters commit whoredom, || 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 sacrifice, || A people that does not understand kicks. 15 Though you [are] a harlot, O Israel, || Do not let Judah become guilty, || And do not come to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, || Nor swear, YHWH lives. 16 For Israel has turned aside as a stubborn heifer, || Now YHWH feeds them as a lamb in a large place. 17 Ephraim is joined to idols, leave him alone. 18 Sour [is] their drink, || They have gone whoring diligently, || Her protectors have thoroughly loved shame. 19 Wind has distressed her with its wings, || And they are ashamed of their sacrifices!”
Hosea · Literal Standard Version
Hosea 4 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (19)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Jeremiah 4:22; Micah 6:2; Isaiah 3:13–14; 1 Corinthians 15:34; Jeremiah 5:4
- 2 Hosea 6:9; Micah 7:2; Jeremiah 6:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:15; Jeremiah 7:6–10
- 3 Zephaniah 1:3; Isaiah 24:4–12; Nahum 1:4; Ezekiel 38:20; Amos 5:16
- 4 Deuteronomy 17:12; Ezekiel 3:26; Hosea 4:17; Jeremiah 18:18; Matthew 7:3–6
- 5 Hosea 2:2; Jeremiah 15:8; Galatians 4:26; Zechariah 13:2; Ezekiel 16:44–45
- 6 Isaiah 5:13; Proverbs 19:2; Hosea 6:6; 2 Corinthians 4:3–6; Hosea 4:1
- 7 Hosea 13:6; Philippians 3:19; 1 Samuel 2:30; Hosea 4:10; Malachi 2:9
- 8 Micah 3:11; Isaiah 56:11; Titus 1:11; 1 Samuel 2:29; Leviticus 6:26
- 9 Jeremiah 5:31; Isaiah 24:2; Matthew 15:14; Hosea 1:4; Jeremiah 23:11–12
- 10 Micah 6:14; Leviticus 26:26; Haggai 1:6; Psalm 36:3; Zephaniah 1:6
- 11 Proverbs 20:1; Luke 21:34; Isaiah 28:7; Proverbs 6:32; Ecclesiastes 7:7
- 12 Jeremiah 2:27; Hosea 5:4; Habakkuk 2:19; Numbers 15:39; Deuteronomy 31:16
- 13 Jeremiah 3:6; Ezekiel 6:13; Isaiah 1:29; Amos 7:17; Jeremiah 2:20
- 14 Hosea 4:1; 1 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 4:18; Proverbs 28:5; Hosea 14:9
- 15 Hosea 9:15; Hosea 12:11; Amos 4:4; Amos 5:5; Ephesians 5:11
- 16 1 Samuel 15:11; Jeremiah 5:6; Zechariah 7:11; Jeremiah 7:24; Leviticus 26:33
- 17 Psalm 81:12; Revelation 22:11; Hosea 11:2; Hosea 4:4; Hosea 13:2
- 18 Micah 3:11; Proverbs 30:15–16; Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19; Micah 7:3
- 19 Jeremiah 51:1; Jeremiah 4:11–12; Hosea 13:15; Isaiah 1:29; Jeremiah 17:13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… it:" and "let us walk honestly as in the day." "For all things serve Thee." He said all things of some: "all" which belong to this day "serve Thee." For the ungodly of whom it is said, "I have compared thy mother unto the night," do not serve Thee.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
But sin also is called spirit, as I have already said; only in another and opposite sense, as when it is said, The spirit of whoredom caused them to err.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)