The Charge Against Israel
1Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
“There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
2There is only cursing,4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3Because of this the land dries up,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.
4“But let no one bring a charge,
let no one accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest.
5You stumble day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother—
6my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
7The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their glorious God4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory for something disgraceful.
8They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.
9And it will be: Like people, like priests.
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
10“They will eat but not have enough;
they will engage in prostitution but not flourish,
because they have deserted the Lord
to give themselves 11to prostitution;
old wine and new wine
take away their understanding.
12My people consult a wooden idol,
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.
A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;
they are unfaithful to their God.
13They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
14“I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes—
a people without understanding will come to ruin!
15“Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;
do not go up to Beth Aven.4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’
16The Israelites are stubborn,
like a stubborn heifer.
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs in a meadow?
17Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19A whirlwind will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
耶和华指控以色列
1以色列人啊，
你们要听耶和华的话。
祂指控住在这片土地上的居民，说：
“这片土地上的人不忠不信，
毫无良善，不认识上帝。
2他们赌咒、撒谎、凶杀、偷窃、通奸，
为所欲为，血案累累。
3所以，这片土地要哀鸣，
所有的居民都要消亡，
田间的野兽、空中的飞鸟、
水里的鱼类也要灭绝。”
4耶和华说：
“谁都不要指控别人，
谁都不要责备别人，
因为我要指控你们这些祭司。
5你们白天黑夜都要跌倒，
先知也要跟你们一起跌倒，
所以我要毁灭你们的母亲。
6我的子民因无知而遭灭。
因为你们拒绝认识我，
我也要拒绝让你们做我的祭司；
因为你们忘记你们上帝的律法，
我也要忘记你们的儿女。
7你们祭司越增多，
所犯的罪也越多，
所以我要使你们的尊荣变为羞耻。
8你们祭司食用我子民的赎罪祭，
满心希望他们犯罪。
9将来，我的子民如何，
你们祭司也如何。
我要照你们的所作所为惩罚你们、报应你们，
10使你们吃却不得饱足，
行淫却不得后代4:10 “行淫却不得后代”此处的意思是指责以色列人祭拜迦南人掌管生育的神明。他们以为这样能带来更多后代。。
因为你们背弃耶和华，
11沉溺酒色，丧失心智。
12“我的子民祈求木头，
随从木杖的指引。
淫乱的心使他们走入歧途，
他们不忠不贞，背弃他们的上帝。
13他们在山顶和高岗上的橡树、
杨树和栗树下献祭烧香，
因为树荫怡人。
“所以，你们的女儿淫乱，
你们的儿媳通奸。
14但我不会因此而惩罚她们，
因为你们也与娼妓苟合，
与庙妓一起献祭。
无知的民族必走向灭亡。
15“虽然以色列如同妓女，对我不忠，
但不要使犹大犯罪。
不要到吉甲去，
不要到伯·亚文4:15 “伯·亚文”意思是“罪恶之家”，在此指伯特利。“伯特利”意思是“上帝之家”，但当时已变成祭拜偶像之地。去，
不要凭永活的耶和华起誓。
16以色列桀骜不驯，
如同桀骜不驯的母牛。
耶和华怎能牧养他们，
如同在草场上牧养羊羔呢？
17以法莲4:17 “以法莲”为北国以色列最大的支派，圣经中有时用来代指北国以色列。本卷书中下同。与偶像为伍，
任由他吧！
18他们酒足兴尽之后，
便不住地行淫；
他们的首领恋慕羞耻之事。
19风要把他们卷走，
他们必因所献的祭而蒙羞。
