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Hosea 4

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1 ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου υἱοὶ Ισραηλ διότι κρίσις τῷ κυρίῳ πρὸς τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν διότι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλήθεια οὐδὲ ἔλεος οὐδὲ ἐπίγνωσις θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς 2 ἀρὰ καὶ ψεῦδος καὶ φόνος καὶ κλοπὴ καὶ μοιχεία κέχυται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ αἵματα ἐ{F'} αἵμασιν μίσγουσιν 3 διὰ τοῦτο πενθήσει ἡ γῆ καὶ σμικρυνθήσεται σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν αὐτήν σὺν τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ ἀγροῦ καὶ σὺν τοῖς ἑρπετοῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ σὺν τοῖς πετεινοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης ἐκλείψουσιν 4 ὅπως μηδεὶς μήτε δικάζηται μήτε ἐλέγχῃ μηδείς ὁ δὲ λαός μου ὡς ἀντιλεγόμενος ἱερεύς 5 καὶ ἀσθενήσεις ἡμέρας καὶ ἀσθενήσει καὶ προφήτης μετὰ σοῦ νυκτὶ ὡμοίωσα τὴν μητέρα σου 6 ὡμοιώθη ὁ λαός μου ὡς οὐκ ἔχων γνῶσιν ὅτι σὺ ἐπίγνωσιν ἀπώσω κἀγὼ ἀπώσομαι σὲ τοῦ μὴ ἱερατεύειν μοι καὶ ἐπελάθου νόμον θεοῦ σου κἀγὼ ἐπιλήσομαι τέκνων σου 7 κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν οὕτως ἥμαρτόν μοι τὴν δόξαν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀτιμίαν θήσομαι 8 ἁμαρτίας λαοῦ μου φάγονται καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀδικίαις αὐτῶν λήμψονται τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν 9 καὶ ἔσται καθὼς ὁ λαὸς οὕτως καὶ ὁ ἱερεύς καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐ{P'} αὐτὸν τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ διαβούλια αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδώσω αὐτῷ 10 καὶ φάγονται καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐμπλησθῶσιν ἐπόρνευσαν καὶ οὐ μὴ κατευθύνωσιν διότι τὸν κύριον ἐγκατέλιπον τοῦ φυλάξαι 11 πορνείαν καὶ οἶνον καὶ μέθυσμα ἐδέξατο καρδία λαοῦ μου

1 Listen, sons of Israel, to a message from the Lord, notice of a suit he prefers against all that dwell in this land of yours; a land where loyalty, and tenderness of heart, and knowledge of God is none. 2 Curse they and lie, murder they and steal and live adulterously, till there is no checking it; never feud ends but another feud begins. 3 What wonder the land lies widowed, and its folk dwindle; gone, beast and bird, and the sea-beach piled high with fish? 4 Nay, let us have no recriminations between man and man; so should this people of thine fall to railing at their priests! 5 Ruin for thee, sir priest, this day, and, come night, the prophet shall share thy ruin;[1] name of the mother that bore thee shall perish, 6 as, through thy fault, this people of mine perishes for want of knowledge. Knowledge wouldst thou spurn, and shall not I spurn thy priesthood; my law wouldst thou forget, and shall race of thine be spared oblivion? 7 Priests a many, and sins to match their number; shall that title bring glory any longer, and not reproach? 8 Fault if Israel committed, guilt if Israel incurred, it was but the meat and drink such priests craved for.[2] 9 Priest, now, shall fare no better than people; he shall pay for his ill living, reap what his false aims deserve; 10 greed, that remained still unsated, wantonness, that could never have enough. Ah, faithless guardians, that you should play your Lord false![3] 11 That dalliance, and wine, and revelry, should so steal away your wits!

1

Audite verbum Domini, filii Israël,
quia judicium Domino cum habitatoribus terræ:
non est enim veritas, et non est misericordia,
et non est scientia Dei in terra. 2
Maledictum, et mendacium,
et homicidium, et furtum, et adulterium inundaverunt,
et sanguis sanguinem tetigit. 3
Propter hoc lugebit terra,
et infirmabitur omnis qui habitat in ea,
in bestia agri, et in volucre cæli;
sed et pisces maris congregabuntur. 4
Verumtamen unusquisque non judicet,
et non arguatur vir:
populus enim tuus sicut hi qui contradicunt sacerdoti. 5
Et corrues hodie,
et corruet etiam propheta tecum.
Nocte tacere feci matrem tuam. 6
Conticuit populus meus,
eo quod non habuerit scientiam:
quia tu scientiam repulisti,
repellam te, ne sacerdotio fungaris mihi;
et oblita es legis Dei tui,
obliviscar filiorum tuorum et ego. 7
Secundum multitudinem eorum sic peccaverunt mihi:
gloriam eorum in ignominiam commutabo. 8
Peccata populi mei comedent,
et ad iniquitatem eorum sublevabunt animas eorum. 9
Et erit sicut populus, sic sacerdos;
et visitabo super eum vias ejus,
et cogitationes ejus reddam ei. 10
Et comedent, et non saturabuntur;
fornicati sunt, et non cessaverunt:
quoniam Dominum dereliquerunt in non custodiendo. 11
Fornicatio, et vinum, et ebrietas auferunt cor.

12 ἐν συμβόλοις ἐπηρώτων καὶ ἐν ῥάβδοις αὐτοῦ ἀπήγγελλον αὐτῷ πνεύματι πορνείας ἐπλανήθησαν καὶ ἐξεπόρνευσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν 13 ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρέων ἐθυσίαζον καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς βουνοὺς ἔθυον ὑποκάτω δρυὸς καὶ λεύκης καὶ δένδρου συσκιάζοντος ὅτι καλὸν σκέπη διὰ τοῦτο ἐκπορνεύσουσιν αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν καὶ αἱ νύμφαι ὑμῶν μοιχεύσουσιν 14 καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐπισκέψωμαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν ὅταν πορνεύωσιν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς νύμφας ὑμῶν ὅταν μοιχεύωσιν διότι καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ τῶν πορνῶν συνεφύροντο καὶ μετὰ τῶν τετελεσμένων ἔθυον καὶ ὁ λαὸς ὁ συνίων συνεπλέκετο μετὰ πόρνης

12 And what of my people? See where they have recourse to tree-stump or senseless wand, for an answer to their perplexities! Lust for strange worship swept them away, made them false to their troth with God; 13 on mountain and hill-side, grateful for leafy shade of oak, poplar or terebinth, they slay the victim, and burn incense. What wonder daughters should turn harlot, wives play the wanton? 14 Harlot daughter and adulterous wife shall go unpunished; what did father and husband, but keep harlots’ company, share revel with consecrated minions? Want wit, be sure a people is ruined.

12
Populus meus in ligno suo interrogavit,
et baculus ejus annuntiavit ei;
spiritus enim fornicationum decepit eos,
et fornicati sunt a Deo suo. 13
Super capita montium sacrificabant,
et super colles ascendebant thymiama;
subtus quercum, et populum, et terebinthum,
quia bona erat umbra ejus;
ideo fornicabuntur filiæ vestræ,
et sponsæ vestræ adulteræ erunt. 14
Non visitabo super filias vestras cum fuerint fornicatæ,
et super sponsas vestras cum adulteraverint,
quoniam ipsi cum meretricibus conversabantur,
et cum effeminatis sacrificabant;
et populus non intelligens vapulabit.

15 σὺ δέ Ισραηλ μὴ ἀγνόει καὶ Ιουδα μὴ εἰσπορεύεσθε εἰς Γαλγαλα καὶ μὴ ἀναβαίνετε εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ων καὶ μὴ ὀμνύετε ζῶντα κύριον

15 Wanton though Israel be, at least let Juda shun the wrong; not for them the way that leads to Galgal, Bethaven’s pilgrimage, or the oath taken by the living God …[4]

15
Si fornicaris tu, Israël,
non delinquat saltem Juda;
et nolite ingredi in Galgala,
et ne ascenderitis in Bethaven,
neque juraveritis: Vivit Dominus!

16 ὅτι ὡς δάμαλις παροιστρῶσα παροίστρησεν Ισραηλ νῦν νεμήσει αὐτοὺς κύριος ὡς ἀμνὸν ἐν εὐρυχώρῳ 17 μέτοχος εἰδώλων Εφραιμ ἔθηκεν ἑαυτῷ σκάνδαλα 18 ᾑρέτισεν Χαναναίους πορνεύοντες ἐξεπόρνευσαν ἠγάπησαν ἀτιμίαν ἐκ φρυάγματος αὐτῶν 19 συστροφὴ πνεύματος σὺ εἶ ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτῆς καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται ἐκ τῶν θυσιαστηρίων αὐτῶν

16 Stubborn as frisking heifer, Israel turns away the head; would you have the Lord feed him, like a cade lamb, unconfined? 17 Wedded to idols, this Ephraim; go his own way he must; 18 here be revellers that will keep their own company, here be idolaters in grain, and princes that dote still on their own disgrace. 19 Ay, but a storm is coming that shall carry them away on its wings, to rue the unavailing sacrifice.[5]

16
Quoniam sicut vacca lasciviens declinavit Israël;
nunc pascet eos Dominus, quasi agnum in latitudine. 17
Particeps idolorum Ephraim: dimitte eum. 18
Separatum est convivium eorum;
fornicatione fornicati sunt:
dilexerunt afferre ignominiam protectores ejus. 19
Ligavit eum spiritus in alis suis,
et confundentur a sacrificiis suis.

[1] The text of verses 4 and 5 is barely translatable, and is widely suspected of being corrupt. The word ‘priest’ only occurs once in the original, but there is no telling whether it is meant to be the last word of verse 4 or the first of verse 5; possibly it occurred in both places and, through inadvertence, was written once instead of twice.

[2] Unless the prophet is using a somewhat violent metaphor, there is probably an allusion to the sacrifices offered in expiation, when the law had been transgressed, and to the priests’ share in them.

[3] The interpretation of this verse is very uncertain.

[4] It seems clear that the verse, as it stands, is incomplete, and some think a reference to Bersabee has fallen out (cf. Am. 5.5). The reference to an oath, even so, is puzzling; but cf. Am. 8.14.

[5] In verses 18 and 19, once more the accuracy of the Hebrew text may be doubted; in verse 18, no sense can be made of it at all.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd