4Hear 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.H8085H1697H3068H1121H3478H3068H7379H3427H776H571H2617H1847H430H7762You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere—one murder after another.H422H3584H7523H1589H5003H6555H1818H5060H18183That 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.H776H56H3427H535H2416H7704H5775H8064H1709H3220H6224“Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you.H376H7378H3198H376H5971H7378H35485So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother.H3782H3117H5030H3782H3915H1820H5176My 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.H5971H1820H1847H3988H1847H3988H3547H7911H8451H430H7911H11217The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols.H7230H2398H4171H3519H70368“When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin!H398H2403H5971H5375H5315H57719‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds.H5971H3548H6485H1870H7725H461110They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the LordH398H7646H2181H6555H5800H8104H306811to worship other gods. “Wine has robbed my people of their understanding.H2184H3196H8492H3947H382012They 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.H5971H7592H6086H4731H5046H7307H2183H8582H2181H43013They 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.H2076H7218H2022H6999H1389H437H3839H424H6738H2896H1323H2181H3618H500314But 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.H6485H1323H2181H3618H5003H6504H2181H2076H6948H5971H995H383215“Though you, Israel, are a prostitute, may Judah avoid such guilt. Do not join the false worship at Gilgal or Beth-aven, even though they take oaths there in the Lord’s name.H3478H2181H3063H816H935H1537H5927H1007H7650H3068H241616Israel is stubborn, like a stubborn heifer. So should the Lord feed her like a lamb in a lush pasture?H3478H5637H5637H6510H3068H7462H3532H480017Leave Israel alone, because she is married to idolatry.H669H2266H6091H324018When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking, off they go to find some prostitutes. They love shame more than honor.H5435H5493H2181H2181H4043H7036H157H305119So a mighty wind will sweep them away. Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame.H7307H6887H3671H954H2077
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