151 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
151 lines
2.9 KiB
Markdown
The LORD's Case against Israel
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# Chapter 4
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1. Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel!
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The LORD has brought charges against you, saying:
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"There is no faithfulness, no kindness,
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no knowledge of God in your land.
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2. You make vows and break them;
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you kill and steal and commit adultery.
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There is violence everywhere--
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one murder after another.
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3. That is why your land is in mourning,
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and everyone is wasting away.
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Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky,
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and the fish of the sea are disappearing.
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4. "Don't point your finger at someone else
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and try to pass the blame!
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My complaint, you priests,
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is with you.
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5. So you will stumble in broad daylight,
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and your false prophets will fall with you in the night.
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And I will destroy Israel, your mother.
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6. My people are being destroyed
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because they don't know me.
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Since you priests refuse to know me,
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I refuse to recognize you as my priests.
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Since you have forgotten the laws of your God,
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I will forget to bless your children.
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7. The more priests there are,
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the more they sin against me.
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They have exchanged the glory of God
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for the shame of idols.
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8. "When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed.
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So the priests are glad when the people sin!
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9. 'And what the priests do, the people also do.'
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So now I will punish both priests and people
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for their wicked deeds.
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10. They will eat and still be hungry.
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They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it,
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for they have deserted the LORD
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11. to worship other gods.
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"Wine has robbed my people
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of their understanding.
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12. They ask a piece of wood for advice!
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They think a stick can tell them the future!
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Longing after idols
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has made them foolish.
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They have played the prostitute,
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serving other gods and deserting their God.
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13. They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops.
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They go up into the hills to burn incense
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in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees.
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"That is why your daughters turn to prostitution,
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and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
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14. But why should I punish them
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for their prostitution and adultery?
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For your men are doing the same thing,
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sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes.
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O foolish people! You refuse to understand,
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so you will be destroyed.
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15. "Though you, Israel, are a prostitute,
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may Judah not be guilty of such things.
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Do not join the false worship at Gilgal or Beth-aven,
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and do not take oaths there in the LORD's name.
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16. Israel is stubborn,
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like a stubborn heifer.
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So should the LORD feed her
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like a lamb in a lush pasture?
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17. Leave Israel alone,
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because she is married to idolatry.
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18. When the rulers of Israel finish their drinking,
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off they go to find some prostitutes.
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They love shame more than honor.
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19. So a mighty wind will sweep them away.
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Their sacrifices to idols will bring them shame.
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