1Hear the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel, for Yahweh has a dispute with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth and no loyal love and no knowledge of God in the land.
2Swearing and lying and murdering and stealing and committing adultery — they break out, and bloodshed touches bloodshed.
3Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who dwells in it languishes, together with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; and even the fish of the sea are swept away.
4Yet let no one contend, and let no one rebuke, for your people are like those who contend with a priest.
5You will stumble by day, and the prophet also will stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother.
6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from being a priest to me; and since you have forgotten the law of your God, I too will forget your children.
7The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.
8They feed on the sin of my people, and to their iniquity they lift up their appetite.
9And it will be, like people like priest; I will visit upon him his ways, and his deeds I will return to him.
10They will eat but not be satisfied; they will practice whoredom but not increase, because they have abandoned Yahweh to keep watch.
11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
12My people inquire of their piece of wood, and their staff declares to them; for a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have played the whore, departing from under their God.
13On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice, and on the hills they burn incense, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
14I will not visit punishment upon your daughters when they play the whore, nor upon your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go apart with the whores and sacrifice with the cult prostitutes; and a people without understanding comes to ruin.
15Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Do not come to Gilgal, and do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear, “As Yahweh lives.”
16For like a stubborn heifer Israel is stubborn; now will Yahweh pasture them like a lamb in a broad place?
17Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.
18When their drink is gone, they give themselves wholly to whoredom; her rulers dearly love shame.
19A wind has wrapped her up in its wings, and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
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