New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Hosea 4
1
People of Israel, listen to the Lord's message. He is bringing charges against you who live in Israel. He says, "There is no faithfulness or love in the land. No one recognizes me as God.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 4:22
Isaiah 34:1
References God
Jeremiah 5:4
Romans 1:28
1 Corinthians 15:34
References Lord
Micah 6:2
Isaiah 1:18
Hosea 12:2
Word
Jeremiah 25:31
2
People call down curses on others. They tell lies and commit murder. They steal and commit adultery. They break all of my laws. They keep on spilling the blood of others.
Reference
3
That is why the land is drying up. All those who live in it are getting weaker and weaker. The wild animals and the birds of the air are dying. So are the fish in the ocean.
Reference
4
"But you priests should not blame the people. You should not find fault with one another. After all, your people could also bring charges against you.
Reference
5
You trip and fall day and night. And the prophets fall down along with you. So I will destroy your nation. She is the one who gave birth to you.
Reference
6
My people are destroyed because they do not know me. "You priests have refused to obey me. So I will refuse to accept you as my priests. You have not paid any attention to my law. So I will not let your children be my priests.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 5:13
Proverbs 19:2
Matthew 15:8
Hosea 8:14
Hosea 13:6
References God
Hosea 6:6
Isaiah 17:10
Word
Hosea 4:1
Jeremiah 2:8
2 Chronicles 15:3
7
The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have traded their glorious God for that shameful god Baal.
Reference
Glory
Philippians 3:19
Habakkuk 2:16
Parallel theme
Hosea 13:6
1 Samuel 2:30
Malachi 2:9
Hosea 4:10
Hosea 10:1
Hosea 5:1
Hosea 6:9
Sin
Ezra 9:7
8
They live off the sins of my people. And they want them to keep on sinning.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 56:11
Micah 3:11
Titus 1:11
Psalm 24:4
Romans 16:18
Malachi 1:10
1 Samuel 2:29
Sin
Leviticus 6:26
9
So here is what I will do. I will punish people and priests alike. I will judge them because of their sinful lives. I will pay them back for the evil things they have done.
Reference
10
"My people will eat. But they will not have enough. They will have sex with prostitutes. But they will not have any children. That is because they have deserted me.
Reference
11
They have sex with prostitutes. They drink old wine and fresh wine. When they do those things, it destroys their ability to understand.
Reference
12
They ask a wooden statue of a god for advice. They expect to get answers from a stick of wood. They act like prostitutes. That leads them down the wrong path. I am their God. But they are not faithful to me.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 2:27
Habakkuk 2:19
Numbers 15:39
References God
Deuteronomy 31:16
Spirit
Hosea 5:4
13
They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops. They burn offerings on the hills. They worship under oak, poplar and terebinth trees. The trees provide plenty of shade. So your daughters become prostitutes. And your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
Reference
14
"I will not punish your daughters when they become prostitutes. I will not judge your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. After all, the men themselves have sex with sinful women. They offer sacrifices where temple prostitutes earn their living. People who can't understand will be destroyed!
Reference
Parallel theme
Hosea 4:1
15
"Israel, you are not faithful to me. But I do not want Judah to become guilty too. "My people, do not go to Gilgal to offer sacrifices. Do not go up to Bethel to worship other gods. Do not take an oath and say, 'You can be sure that the Lord is alive.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Hosea 12:11
Hosea 9:15
Amos 4:4
Amos 5:5
Amos 8:14
Hosea 5:8
Hosea 10:5
References Israel
Hosea 10:8
References Lord
Jeremiah 5:2
16
The people of Israel are stubborn. They are as stubborn as a young cow. So how can I take care of them like lambs in a meadow?
17
The people of Ephraim have joined themselves to other gods. And nothing can be done to help them.
Reference
18
They continue to be unfaithful to me even when their drinks are gone. And their rulers love to do shameful things.
Reference
Parallel theme
Micah 3:11
Summary of Hosea 4
Hosea 4 presents Israel as a nation whose rejection of God has spread into every major area of life, producing dishonesty, violence, sexual immorality, corruption, false worship, irresponsible leadership, and a breakdown of the people's relationship with both God and one another.
God begins by bringing a legal accusation against Israel because the nation no longer demonstrates faithfulness, love, or genuine knowledge of Him.
The problem is therefore deeper than incorrect religious practices because the people have lost the character and understanding that should come from knowing God.
Their rejection of God produces widespread social consequences, including lying, murder, stealing, adultery, and violence, while the land itself is pictured as suffering because of the nation's corruption.
The priests receive particular criticism because they were responsible for teaching God's people, yet they have rejected knowledge and allowed the people to continue in sinful practices.
Instead of correcting wrongdoing, the religious leaders benefit from the people's sin because they receive portions of offerings connected with the nation's religious activities.
This creates a destructive cycle in which spiritual corruption becomes institutionalized, allowing both leaders and ordinary people to continue down the same path.
Hosea then describes the people's pursuit of idols, divination, sexual immorality, and fertility worship, showing how false religion affects both their understanding and their behavior.
The nation has become so attached to its idols that God compares it to a stubborn animal that refuses to follow its owner.
Ephraim, representing the northern kingdom, has become particularly committed to idolatry, and the warning that it should be left alone suggests that persistent rejection of correction eventually produces a point where judgment becomes unavoidable.
The chapter also warns Judah not to copy Israel's behavior, demonstrating that the southern kingdom is not automatically safe simply because it has not yet experienced the same level of judgment.
The final image of Israel being carried away like something caught in the wind points toward the coming exile, when Assyria would conquer the northern kingdom and remove much of its population from the land.
The central message is that Hosea 4 shows that rejecting God does not remain limited to private religious belief, because when people abandon truth and the knowledge of God, the consequences spread into leadership, morality, family relationships, justice, worship, and even the wellbeing of the wider community.
The chapter also warns that religious leaders carry a particularly serious responsibility because those who should teach people God's truth can instead deepen corruption when they benefit from sin, and Israel's persistent refusal to return to God eventually leads toward judgment and exile rather than continued protection.
God begins by bringing a legal accusation against Israel because the nation no longer demonstrates faithfulness, love, or genuine knowledge of Him.
The problem is therefore deeper than incorrect religious practices because the people have lost the character and understanding that should come from knowing God.
Their rejection of God produces widespread social consequences, including lying, murder, stealing, adultery, and violence, while the land itself is pictured as suffering because of the nation's corruption.
The priests receive particular criticism because they were responsible for teaching God's people, yet they have rejected knowledge and allowed the people to continue in sinful practices.
Instead of correcting wrongdoing, the religious leaders benefit from the people's sin because they receive portions of offerings connected with the nation's religious activities.
This creates a destructive cycle in which spiritual corruption becomes institutionalized, allowing both leaders and ordinary people to continue down the same path.
Hosea then describes the people's pursuit of idols, divination, sexual immorality, and fertility worship, showing how false religion affects both their understanding and their behavior.
The nation has become so attached to its idols that God compares it to a stubborn animal that refuses to follow its owner.
Ephraim, representing the northern kingdom, has become particularly committed to idolatry, and the warning that it should be left alone suggests that persistent rejection of correction eventually produces a point where judgment becomes unavoidable.
The chapter also warns Judah not to copy Israel's behavior, demonstrating that the southern kingdom is not automatically safe simply because it has not yet experienced the same level of judgment.
The final image of Israel being carried away like something caught in the wind points toward the coming exile, when Assyria would conquer the northern kingdom and remove much of its population from the land.
The central message is that Hosea 4 shows that rejecting God does not remain limited to private religious belief, because when people abandon truth and the knowledge of God, the consequences spread into leadership, morality, family relationships, justice, worship, and even the wellbeing of the wider community.
The chapter also warns that religious leaders carry a particularly serious responsibility because those who should teach people God's truth can instead deepen corruption when they benefit from sin, and Israel's persistent refusal to return to God eventually leads toward judgment and exile rather than continued protection.