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Hosea 4

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1 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye sons of Israel; for Jehovah has strife with those who dwell in the land, for there is no truth, and no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land.

2 By making·​·oaths, and deceiving, and murdering, and stealing, and committing·​·adultery, they break·​·through*, and blood touches blood.

3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and all dwelling in it shall languish, with the animal of the field, and with the fowls of the heavens; and even the fish of the sea shall be gathered·​·in.

4 Only let no man strive, nor reprove another man; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

5 And thou shalt stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night, and I will cut·​·off thy mother.

6 My people are cut·​·off for being without the knowledge; for thou hast rejected the knowledge, and I will reject thee from being·​·a·​·priest to Me; and thou hast forgotten the law of thy God; I also will forget thy sons.

7 As they multiplied, so they sinned against Me; therefore will I exchange their glory with disgrace.

8 They eat·​·up the sin of My people, and they lift·​·up their soul to their iniquity.

9 And it shall be, as the people, so the priest; and I will visit upon him his ways, and cause his actions to return to him.

10 And they shall eat, and not be satisfied; they shall commit·​·harlotry, and shall not break·​·forth*: because they have forsaken to take·​·heed to Jehovah.

11 Harlotry and wine and must* grip the heart.

12 My people ask their tree, and their stick tells them; for the spirit of harlotries has caused them to stray, and they have committed·​·harlotry beneath their God.

13 They sacrifice upon the heads of the mountains, and burn·​·incense upon the hills, under the holly·​·oak, and poplar and strong·​·oak, for its shade is good; therefore your daughters shall commit·​·harlotry, and your daughters-in-law shall commit·​·adultery.

14 Shall I not visit upon your daughters when they commit·​·harlotry, nor upon your daughters-in-law when they commit·​·adultery? For they separate themselves with the harlots, and they sacrifice with the prostitutes; and the people who does not understand shall fall.

15 Though thou, Israel, commit·​·harlotry, yet let not Judah be·​·guilty; and come· you not ·to Gilgal, neither go· ye ·up to Beth-aven, nor promise, saying, As Jehovah lives.

16 For Israel defies as a defiant cow; now Jehovah will pasture them as a lamb in a broad·​·place.

17 Ephraim is coupled to idols; leave· him ·alone.

18 Their inebriating·​·drink is removed; committing·​·harlotry they have committed·​·harlotry, they have loved, they have given disgrace to her shields.

19 The wind has bundled her in her wings, and they shall be·​·ashamed of their sacrifices.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Komentář

 

Good

  
To Charity, by João Zeferino da Costa

It seems rather circular to say that “good” in the Bible represents good, but in a general sense it's true! The case is this: The Lord is love itself given form and expression as wisdom itself, and that Divine Love and Divine Wisdom flow down into us, into the world and into the Bible in an unending stream with endless variety. Divine Love gives rise to our loves, our affections, our desires for good and the joy we can feel; Divine Wisdom gives rise to facts, knowledge, intelligence, understanding and human wisdom. And the more we can bring those two aspects of our lives into harmony, the more elevated we can become -- which will in turn make us happier, more useful, and ultimately more angelic.