| New King James Version | King James Bible |
| 1Hear the word of the LORD, You children of Israel, For the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “There is no truth or mercy Or knowledge of God in the land. | 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. |
| 2By swearing and lying, Killing and stealing and committing adultery, They break all restraint, With bloodshed upon bloodshed. | 2By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. |
| 3Therefore the land will mourn; And everyone who dwells there will waste away With the beasts of the field And the birds of the air; Even the fish of the sea will be taken away. | 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. |
| 4“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another; For your people are like those who contend with the priest. | 4Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. |
| 5Therefore you shall stumble in the day; The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night; And I will destroy your mother. | 5Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. |
| 6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. | 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. |
| 7“The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. | 7As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. |
| 8They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. | 8They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. |
| 9And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. | 9And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings. |
| 10For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the LORD. | 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. |
| 11“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart. | 11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. |
| 12My people ask counsel from their wooden idols, And their staff informs them. For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray, And they have played the harlot against their God. | 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. |
| 13They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops, And burn incense on the hills, Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths, Because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters commit harlotry, And your brides commit adultery. | 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. |
| 14“I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry, Nor your brides when they commit adultery; For the men themselves go apart with harlots, And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot. Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled. | 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. |
| 15“Though you, Israel, play the harlot, Let not Judah offend. Do not come up to Gilgal, Nor go up to Beth Aven, Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the LORD lives’— | 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. |
| 16“For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now the LORD will let them forage Like a lamb in open country. | 16For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place. |
| 17“Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone. | 17Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone. |
| 18Their drink is rebellion, They commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonor. | 18Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love, Give ye. |
| 19The wind has wrapped her up in its wings, And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. | 19The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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