| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. | 1Hear the word of the LORD, people of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land! |
| 2By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. | 2Cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another. |
| 3Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. | 3For this reason the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes, along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky; even the fish of the sea disappear. |
| 4Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. | 4But let no one dispute; let no one argue, for My case is against you priests. |
| 5Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. | 5You will stumble by day; the prophet will also stumble with you by night. And I will destroy your mother. |
| 6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. | 6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you from serving as My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your sons. |
| 7As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. | 7The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me. I will change their honor into disgrace. |
| 8They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. | 8They feed on the sin of My people; they have an appetite for their transgressions. |
| 9And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings. | 9The same judgment will happen to both people and priests. I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. |
| 10For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the LORD. | 10They will eat but not be satisfied; they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have abandoned their devotion to the LORD. |
| 11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. | 11Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away one's understanding. |
| 12My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. | 12My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray; they act promiscuously in disobedience to their God. |
| 13They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. | 13They sacrifice on the mountaintops, and they burn offerings on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters act promiscuously and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. |
| 14I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall. | 14I will not punish your daughters when they act promiscuously or your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go off with prostitutes and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes. People without discernment are doomed. |
| 15Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD liveth. | 15Israel, if you act promiscuously, don't let Judah become guilty! Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven, and do not swear an oath: As the LORD lives! |
| 16For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place. | 16For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow. Can the LORD now shepherd them like a lamb in an open meadow? |
| 17Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone. | 17Ephraim is attached to idols; leave him alone! |
| 18Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye. | 18When their drinking is over, they turn to promiscuity. Israel's leaders fervently love disgrace. |
| 19The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. | 19A wind with its wings will carry them off, and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices. |
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