| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: "There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. | 1Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites! For the LORD has a covenant lawsuit against the people of Israel. For there is neither faithfulness nor loyalty in the land, nor do they acknowledge God. |
| 2There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. | 2There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery. They resort to violence and bloodshed. |
| 3Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away. | 3Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish. |
| 4"But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest. | 4Do not let anyone accuse or contend against anyone else: for my case is against you priests! |
| 5You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother-- | 5You stumble day and night, and the false prophets stumble with you; You have destroyed your own people! |
| 6my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. | 6You have destroyed my people by failing to acknowledge me! Because you refuse to acknowledge me, I will reject you as my priests. Because you reject the law of your God, I will reject your descendants. |
| 7The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful. | 7The more the priests increased in numbers, the more they rebelled against me. They have turned their glorious calling into a shameful disgrace! |
| 8They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness. | 8They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity! |
| 9And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. | 9I will deal with the people and priests together: I will punish them both for their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds. |
| 10"They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the LORD to give themselves | 10They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the LORD by pursuing other gods. |
| 11to prostitution; old wine and new wine take away their understanding. | 11Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people. |
| 12My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner's rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God. | 12They consult their wooden idols, and their diviner's staff answers with an oracle. The wind of prostitution blows them astray; they commit spiritual adultery against their God. |
| 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery. | 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and burn offerings on the hills; they sacrifice under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is so pleasant. As a result, your daughters have become cult prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery! |
| 14"I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes-- a people without understanding will come to ruin! | 14I will not punish your daughters when they commit prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. For the men consort with harlots, they sacrifice with temple prostitutes. It is true: "A people that lacks understanding will come to ruin!" |
| 15"Though you, Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty. "Do not go to Gilgal; do not go up to Beth Aven. And do not swear, 'As surely as the LORD lives!' | 15Although you, O Israel, commit adultery, do not let Judah become guilty! Do not journey to Gilgal! Do not go up to Beth Aven! Do not swear, "As surely as the LORD lives!" |
| 16The Israelites are stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. How then can the LORD pasture them like lambs in a meadow? | 16Israel has rebelled like a stubborn heifer! Soon the LORD will put them out to pasture like a lamb in a broad field! |
| 17Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone! | 17Ephraim has attached himself to idols; Do not go near him! |
| 18Even when their drinks are gone, they continue their prostitution; their rulers dearly love shameful ways. | 18They consume their alcohol, then engage in cult prostitution; they dearly love their shameful behavior. |
| 19A whirlwind will sweep them away, and their sacrifices will bring them shame. | 19A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings; they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship. |
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