Online Bible

God’s Controversy with Israel

^aHear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel,For the LORD has a legal ^bcase with the inhabitants of the land,Because there is ^cno faithfulness no steadfast love, no dependability or loyalty or kindnessOr ^dknowledge of God from personal experience with Him in the land.2 There is false ^aswearing of oaths, ^bdeception (broken faith) , ^cmurder, ^dstealing, and ^eadultery;They employ violence, so that one act of ^fbloodshed follows closely on another.3 Therefore the land continually ^amourns,And everyone who lives in it languishes in tragic sufferingTogether with the animals of the open country and the birds of the heavens;Even the fish of the sea disappear.

4 Yet let no one ^afind fault, nor let any rebuke others;For your people are like those who ^bcontend with the priest.5 So you will ^astumble in the daytime,And the false prophet will also stumble with you in the night;And I will destroy your ^bmother (Israel) . Ex 19:66 ^aMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge of My law, where I reveal My will.Because you the priestly nation have ^brejected knowledge,I will also ^creject you from being My priest.Since you have ^dforgotten the ^elaw of your God,I will also forget your children.

7 The more they ^amultiplied in numbers and increased in power, the more they sinned against Me;I will ^bchange their glory into shame.8 They (the priests) ¹^afeed on the sin offering of My peopleAnd ^bset their heart on their wickedness. Lev 7:7, 89 And it shall be: like people, ^alike priest both are wicked and both will be judged;So I will ^bpunish them for their waysAnd repay them for their deeds.10 ^aThey will eat, but not have enough;They will ^bplay the prostitute, but not increase their descendants,Because they have ^cstopped giving heed to the LORD.

11 Prostitution, ^awine, and new wine take away the mind and the spiritual understanding.12 My people ^aconsult their lifeless wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand gives them oracles.For a spirit of prostitution has led them astray morally and spiritually,And they have played the prostitute, withdrawing themselves from their God.13 They sacrifice on the ^atops of the mountainsAnd ^bburn incense on the hills,^cUnder oaks, poplars, and terebinths,Because the shade is pleasant there.Therefore your daughters play the prostituteAnd your brides commit adultery.14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostituteOr your brides when they commit adultery,For the men themselves slip away with prostitutes,And they offer sacrifices with ^atemple prostitutes who give their bodies in honor of the idol.So the people without understanding stumble and fall and come to ruin.

15 Though you, Israel, play the prostitute by worshiping idols,Do not let Judah become guilty of the same thing;And do not go to ^aGilgal where idols are worshiped,Or go up to ¹Beth-aven (House of Wickedness) ,^bNor swear oaths in idolatrous worship, saying,“As the LORD lives!”16 For Israel is ^astubborn,Like a stubborn heifer.Can the LORD now ^bpasture themLike a lamb in a large field?17 Ephraim is joined to ^aidols,So ^blet him alone to suffer the consequences.18 When their liquor is gone and their drinking parties are over,They habitually go to play the prostitute;Ephraim’s ^arulers continue to dearly love shame more than her glory which is the LORD, Israel’s God.19 ^aThe wind of God’s relentless wrath has wrapped up Israel in its wings,And in captivity they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices to calves, to sun, to moon, to stars, and to pagan gods.

Yahweh’s Contention with Israel

^aListen to the word of Yahweh, O sons of Israel,For Yahweh has a ^bcontention against the inhabitants of the land,Because there is ^cno truth or ¹lovingkindnessOr ^dknowledge of God in the land.2 There is ^aswearing of oaths, ^bdeception, ^cmurder, ^dstealing, and ^eadultery.They break forth in violence so that ^fbloodshed ¹follows bloodshed.3 Therefore the land ^amourns,And everyone who inhabits it languishesAlong with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,And also the fish of the sea ¹disappear.

4 Yet let no man ^acontend, and let no man offer reproof;Indeed, your people are like those who ^bcontend with the priest.5 So you will ^astumble by day,And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;And I will destroy your ^bmother.6 ^aMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.Because you have ^brejected knowledge,I also will ^creject you from ministering as My priest.Since you have ^dforgotten the ^elaw of your God,I Myself also will forget your children.

7 The more they ^amultiplied, the more they sinned against Me;I will ^bchange their glory into disgrace.8 They ^aeat the ¹sin of My peopleAnd ^blift up ²their soul toward their iniquity.9 And it will be like people, ^alike priest;So I will ^bpunish them for their waysAnd cause their deeds to return to them.10 ^aThey will eat, but not be satisfied;They will ^bplay the harlot, but not break forth in number,Because they have ¹^cforsaken Yahweh to keep harlotry.

11 Harlotry, ^awine, and new wine take away a heart of wisdom.12 My people ^aask their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand declares to them;For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,And they have played the harlot, departing ¹from their God.13 They offer sacrifices on the ^atops of the mountainsAnd ¹^bburn incense on the hills,^cUnder oak, poplar, and terebinthBecause their shade is good.Therefore your daughters play the harlot,And your ²brides commit adultery.14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlotOr your ¹brides when they commit adultery,For the men themselves go apart with harlotsAnd offer sacrifices with ^acult prostitutes;So the people without understanding are ²ruined.

15 Though you, Israel, play the harlot,Do not let Judah become guilty;Also do not go to ^aGilgalNor go up to Beth-aven^bAnd swear the oath:“As Yahweh lives!”16 Since Israel is ^astubbornLike a stubborn heifer,¹Can Yahweh now ^bfeed themLike a lamb in a large field?17 Ephraim is joined to ^aidols;^bLet him alone.18 Their drink gone;They play the harlot continually;^aTheir ¹rulers dearly love disgrace.19 ^aThe wind binds them up in its wings,And they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices.