Common English Bible CEB
English Standard Version ESV
1 Hear the LORD's word, people of Israel; for the LORD has a dispute with the inhabitants of the land. There's no faithful love or loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land.
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Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;
2 Swearing, lying, murder, together with stealing and adultery are common; bloody crime followed by bloody crime.
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there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore, the earth itself becomes sick, and all who live on it grow weak; together with the wild animals and the birds in the sky, even the fish of the sea are dying.
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Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.
4 Yet let no one protest, and let no one complain. Listen, priest, I am angry with your people.
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Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest.
5 You will stumble by day; and at nighttime so will your prophet, and I will destroy your mother.
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You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Since you have rejected knowledge, so I will reject you from serving me as a priest. Since you have forgotten the Instruction of your God, so also I will forget your children.
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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glory for shame.
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The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of my people; they set their hearts on evil things.
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They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity.
9 The priest will be just like the people; I will punish them for their ways, and judge them for their deeds.
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And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat but not be satisfied; they will have sex like prostitutes, but they will not have children, because they have rejected the LORD to devote themselves to
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They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish
11 false religious practices. Wine and new wine destroy understanding.
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whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding.
12 My people take advice from a piece of wood, and their divining rod gives them predictions. A spirit of prostitution has led them astray; they have left God to follow other gods.
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My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.
13 They offer sacrifices on mountaintops, and make entirely burned offerings on hills; they offer sacrifices under various green trees, because their shade is pleasant. Therefore, your daughters act like prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.
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They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters because they act like prostitutes, nor your daughters-in-law because they commit adultery; for the men themselves visit prostitutes, and offer sacrifices with consecrated workers at temples; so now the people without sense must come to ruin.
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I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin.
15 Israel, even though you act like a prostitute, don't let Judah become guilty. Don't enter into Gilgal, or go up to Beth-aven, and don't swear, "As the LORD lives."
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Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and swear not, "As the LORD lives."
16 Like a stubborn cow Israel is stubborn. Now the LORD will tend them, as the LORD tends a lamb in a pasture.
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Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture?
17 Ephraim is associated with idols— let him alone!
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Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone.
18 Though they have stopped drinking, they continue to behave like prostitutes; indeed, they “love”; shame is their pride.
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When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame.
19 The wind has wrapped her in its wings; they will be ashamed of their sacrifices.
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A wind has wrapped them in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.