102 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
102 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
God's Case against Israel
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# Chapter 4
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1. Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel,
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for the Lord has a case
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against the inhabitants of the land:
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There is no truth, no faithful love,
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and no knowledge of God in the land!
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2. Cursing, lying, murder, stealing,
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and adultery are rampant;
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one act of bloodshed follows another.
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3. For this reason the land mourns,
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and everyone who lives in it languishes,
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along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky;
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even the fish of the sea disappear.
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4. But let no one dispute; let no one argue,
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for my case is against you priests.
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5. You will stumble by day;
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the prophet will also stumble with you by night.
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And I will destroy your mother.
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6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
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Because you have rejected knowledge,
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I will reject you from serving as my priest.
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Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
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I will also forget your sons.
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7. The more they multiplied,
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the more they sinned against me.
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I will change their honor into disgrace.
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8. They feed on the sin of my people;
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they have an appetite for their iniquity.
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9. The same judgment will happen
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to both people and priests.
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I will punish them for their ways
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and repay them for their deeds.
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10. They will eat but not be satisfied;
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they will be promiscuous but not multiply.
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For they have abandoned their devotion to the Lord.
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11. Promiscuity, wine, and new wine
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take away one's understanding.
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12. My people consult their wooden idols,
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and their divining rods inform them.
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For a spirit of promiscuity leads them astray;
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they act promiscuously
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in disobedience to their God.
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13. They sacrifice on the mountaintops,
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and they burn offerings on the hills,
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and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
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because their shade is pleasant.
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And so your daughters act promiscuously
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and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
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14. I will not punish your daughters
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when they act promiscuously
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or your daughters-in-law
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when they commit adultery,
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for the men themselves go off with prostitutes
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and make sacrifices with cult prostitutes.
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People without discernment are doomed.
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Warnings for Israel and Judah
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15. Israel, if you act promiscuously,
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don't let Judah become guilty!
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Do not go to Gilgal
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or make a pilgrimage to Beth-aven,
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and do not swear an oath: As the Lord lives!
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16. For Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn cow.
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Can the Lord now shepherd them
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like a lamb in an open meadow?
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17. Ephraim is attached to idols;
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leave him alone!
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18. When their drinking is over,
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they turn to promiscuity.
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Israel's leaders fervently love disgrace.
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19. A wind with its wings will carry them off,
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and they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.
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