| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. | 1Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel! The LORD has brought charges against you, saying: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. |
| 2By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. | 2You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere— one murder after another. |
| 3Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. | 3That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away. Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing. |
| 4“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest. | 4“Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you. |
| 5Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother. | 5So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother. |
| 6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. | 6My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. |
| 7“The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. | 7The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. |
| 8They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. | 8“When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! |
| 9And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. | 9‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds. |
| 10For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the LORD. | 10They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the LORD |
| 11“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. | 11to worship other gods. “Wine has robbed my people of their understanding. |
| 12My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God. | 12They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. |
| 13They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, And burn incense on the hills, Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, Because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your brides commit adultery. | 13They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees. “That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. |
| 14“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, Nor your brides when they commit adultery; For the men themselves go apart with harlots, And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled. | 14But why should I punish them for their prostitution and adultery? For your men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You refuse to understand, so you will be destroyed. |
| 15“Though you, Israel, play the harlot, Let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, Nor go up to Beth Aven, Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the LORD lives’— | 15“Though you, Israel, are a prostitute, may Judah not be guilty of such things. Do not join the false worship at Gilgal or Beth-aven, and do not take oaths there in the LORD’s name. |
| 16“For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now the LORD will let them forage Like a lamb in open country. | 16Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the LORD feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture? |
| 17“Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone. | 17Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry. |
| 18Their drink is rebellion, They commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. | 18When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor. |
| 19The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. | 19So a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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