The Lord Accuses Israel
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1Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for 2the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and 3no knowledge of God in the land;
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4there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and 5bloodshed follows bloodshed.
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Therefore 6the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, 7and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, 8and even the fish of the sea are taken away.
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You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy 11your mother.
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My people are destroyed 12for lack of knowledge; 13because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you 14from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, 15I also will forget your children.
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16The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; 17I will change their glory into shame.
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19And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
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20They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish
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whoredom, wine, and new wine, which 21take away the understanding.
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My people 22inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For 23a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.
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24They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, 25under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery.
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I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for 26the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with 27cult prostitutes, and a people 28without understanding shall come to ruin.
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Though you play the whore, O 29Israel, let not 30Judah become guilty. 31Enter not into 32Gilgal, nor go up to 33Beth-aven, and swear not, "As the LORD lives."
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Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)