Hosea Issues the Lord's Charge Against Israel

Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge to bring against you
who live in the land:

"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
There is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Because of this the land mourns,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field
and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.

"But let no man bring a charge,
let no man accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest.
You stumble day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
. . . My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

"I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes --
A people without understanding will come to ruin!"

(Hosea 4:1-5, 14)