Hosea 4:9

שִׁמְע֥וּ דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּ֣י רִ֤יב לַֽיהֹוָה֙ עִם־יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּ֠י אֵין־אֱמֶ֧ת וְֽאֵין־חֶ֛סֶד וְאֵֽין־דַּ֥עַת אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ Hear the word of GOD,
O people of Israel!
For GOD has a case
Against the inhabitants of this land,
Because there is no honesty and no goodness
And no devotion to God in the land.

אָלֹ֣ה וְכַחֵ֔שׁ וְרָצֹ֥חַ וְגָנֹ֖ב וְנָאֹ֑ף פָּרָ֕צוּ וְדָמִ֥ים בְּדָמִ֖ים נָגָֽעוּ׃ [False] swearing, dishonesty, and murder,
And theft and adultery are rife;
Crime follows upon crime!

עַל־כֵּ֣ן ׀ תֶּאֱבַ֣ל הָאָ֗רֶץ וְאֻמְלַל֙ כׇּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּ֔הּ בְּחַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְגַם־דְּגֵ֥י הַיָּ֖ם יֵאָסֵֽפוּ׃ For that, the earth is withered:
Everything that dwells on it languishes—
Beasts of the field and birds of the sky—
Even the fish of the sea perish.

אַ֥ךְ אִ֛ישׁ אַל־יָרֵ֖ב וְאַל־יוֹכַ֣ח אִ֑ישׁ וְעַמְּךָ֖ כִּמְרִיבֵ֥י כֹהֵֽן׃ “Absolutely no one shall rebuke; none shall protest!”
For this, your people has a grievance against [you], O priest!^aFor this, your people has a grievance against [you], O priest! For failing to reprove; but meaning of Heb. uncertain.

וְכָשַׁלְתָּ֣ הַיּ֔וֹם וְכָשַׁ֧ל גַּם־נָבִ֛יא עִמְּךָ֖ לָ֑יְלָה וְדָמִ֖יתִי אִמֶּֽךָ׃ So you shall stumble by day,
And by night a prophet^ba prophet Emendation yields “your children”; cf. v. 6 end. shall stumble as well,
And I will destroy your kindred.^ckindred Lit. “mother.”

נִדְמ֥וּ עַמִּ֖י מִבְּלִ֣י הַדָּ֑עַת כִּי־אַתָּ֞ה הַדַּ֣עַת מָאַ֗סְתָּ (ואמאסאך) [וְאֶמְאָֽסְךָ֙] מִכַּהֵ֣ן לִ֔י וַתִּשְׁכַּח֙ תּוֹרַ֣ת אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ אֶשְׁכַּ֥ח בָּנֶ֖יךָ גַּם־אָֽנִי׃ My people is destroyed for the lack of devotion!
Because you have rejected devotion,
I reject you as My priest;
Because you have spurned the teaching of your God,
I, in turn, will spurn your children.

כְּרֻבָּ֖ם כֵּ֣ן חָטְאוּ־לִ֑י כְּבוֹדָ֖ם בְּקָל֥וֹן אָמִֽיר׃ The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me:
I will change their dignity to dishonor.

חַטַּ֥את עַמִּ֖י יֹאכֵ֑לוּ וְאֶל־עֲוֺנָ֖ם יִשְׂא֥וּ נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃ They feed on My people’s purgation offerings,
And so they desire its iniquity.

וְאָֽכְלוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִשְׂבָּ֔עוּ הִזְנ֖וּ וְלֹ֣א יִפְרֹ֑צוּ כִּֽי־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה עָזְב֖וּ לִשְׁמֹֽר׃ Truly, they shall eat, but not be sated;
They shall swill,^dswill For this meaning of hiznah cf. v. 18. but not be satisfied,
Because they have forsaken GOD
To practice^epractice Cf. 12.7.

זְנ֛וּת וְיַ֥יִן וְתִיר֖וֹשׁ יִֽקַּֽח־לֵֽב׃ lechery.
Wine^fWine Emendation yields “New grain”; cf. 7.14; 9.1–2. and new wine destroy
The mind of

עַמִּי֙ בְּעֵצ֣וֹ יִשְׁאָ֔ל וּמַקְל֖וֹ יַגִּ֣יד ל֑וֹ כִּ֣י ר֤וּחַ זְנוּנִים֙ הִתְעָ֔ה וַיִּזְנ֖וּ מִתַּ֥חַת אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃ My people:
It consults its stick,^gstick I.e., its phallus, meaning “its lust.”
Its rod^hrod I.e., its phallus, meaning “its lust.” directs it!
A lecherous impulse has made them go wrong,
And they have strayedⁱstrayed See note at 1.2. from submission to their God.

עַל־רָאשֵׁ֨י הֶהָרִ֜ים יְזַבֵּ֗חוּ וְעַל־הַגְּבָעוֹת֙ יְקַטֵּ֔רוּ תַּ֣חַת אַלּ֧וֹן וְלִבְנֶ֛ה וְאֵלָ֖ה כִּ֣י ט֣וֹב צִלָּ֑הּ עַל־כֵּ֗ן תִּזְנֶ֙ינָה֙ בְּנ֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם וְכַלּוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם תְּנָאַֽפְנָה׃ They sacrifice on the mountaintops
And offer on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths
Whose shade is so pleasant.
That is why their^jtheir Heb. “your,” here and through v. 14. daughters fornicate
And their daughters-in-law commit adultery!

לֹא־אֶפְק֨וֹד עַל־בְּנוֹתֵיכֶ֜ם כִּ֣י תִזְנֶ֗ינָה וְעַל־כַּלּֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ כִּ֣י תְנָאַ֔פְנָה כִּי־הֵם֙ עִם־הַזֹּנ֣וֹת יְפָרֵ֔דוּ וְעִם־הַקְּדֵשׁ֖וֹת יְזַבֵּ֑חוּ וְעָ֥ם לֹֽא־יָבִ֖ין יִלָּבֵֽט׃ I will not punish their daughters for fornicating
Nor their daughters-in-law for committing adultery;
For they themselves turn aside^kturn aside Meaning of Heb. uncertain. with whores
And sacrifice with female consecrated workers,^lfemale consecrated workers Or “female retainers”; meaning of Heb. qedeshot uncertain.
And a people that is without sense^mwithout sense Cf. vv. 11–12. must stumble.

אִם־זֹנֶ֤ה אַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַל־יֶאְשַׁ֖ם יְהוּדָ֑ה וְאַל־תָּבֹ֣אוּ הַגִּלְגָּ֗ל וְאַֽל־תַּעֲלוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית אָ֔וֶן וְאַל־תִּשָּׁבְע֖וּ חַי־יְהֹוָֽה׃ If you are a lecher, Israel—
Let not Judah incur guilt—
Do not come to Gilgal,ⁿDo not come to Gilgal One who participates in the debaucheries of the open-air shrines is not fit to visit a temple building.
Do not make pilgrimages to Beth-aven,^oBeth-aven Lit. “House of Delusion,” substituted for Bethel (cf. Amos 4.4).
And do not swear by GOD!^pdo not swear by GOD I.e., you are not fit to profess this religion; see Jer. 12.16.

כִּ֚י כְּפָרָ֣ה סֹרֵרָ֔ה סָרַ֖ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל עַתָּה֙ יִרְעֵ֣ם יְהֹוָ֔ה כְּכֶ֖בֶשׂ בַּמֶּרְחָֽב׃ Ah, Israel has balked
Like a stubborn cow;
Therefore,
GOD will graze him
On the range, like a sheep.^qgraze him / On the range, like a sheep Instead of giving them fodder in return for their work; cf. Isa. 30.23–24.

חֲב֧וּר עֲצַבִּ֛ים אֶפְרָ֖יִם הַֽנַּֽח־לֽוֹ׃ ^rMeaning of vv. 17–19 uncertain in part. Ephraim is addicted to images—
Let him be.

סָ֖ר סׇבְאָ֑ם הַזְנֵ֣ה הִזְנ֔וּ אָהֲב֥וּ הֵב֛וּ קָל֖וֹן מָגִנֶּֽיהָ׃ They drink to excess—
Their liquor turns against them.
They “love” beyond measure—
Disgrace is the “gift”

צָרַ֥ר ר֛וּחַ אוֹתָ֖הּ בִּכְנָפֶ֑יהָ וְיֵבֹ֖שׁוּ מִזִּבְחוֹתָֽם׃ {פ}
That the wind is bringing;^sis bringing Lit. “has bound up in the corners of its garment”; see note at Mal. 3.20.
They shall garner shame from their sacrifices.