I will not punishyour daughterswhenthey playthe harlotOr your brideswhenthey commitadultery,For [the men] themselvesgoapartwith harlotsAnd offersacrificeswith templeprostitutes;So the peoplewithoutunderstandingare ruined.
Listento the wordof the LORD,O sonsof Israel,For the LORDhas a caseagainstthe inhabitantsof the land,Becausethereis nofaithfulnessor kindnessOr knowledgeof Godin the land.
But ifyou are withoutdiscipline,of whichallhave becomepartakers,thenyou are illegitimate childrenand not sons.
beingdarkenedin their understanding,excludedfrom the lifeof Godbecauseof the ignorancethat is in them, becauseof the hardnessof their heart;
Ordo you not knowthat the one who joinshimself to a prostituteis onebody[with her]? For He says,"THE TWOSHALL BECOMEONEFLESH."
THERE IS NONEWHO UNDERSTANDS,THERE IS NONEWHO SEEKSFOR GOD;
"Whydo you not understandwhat I am saying?[It is] becauseyou cannothearMy word.
Whoeveris wise,let him understandthesethings;[Whoever] is discerning,let him knowthem. For the waysof the LORDare right,And the righteouswill walkin them, But transgressorswill stumblein them.
Ephraimis joinedto idols;Lethim alone.
"Manywill be purged,purifiedand refined,but the wickedwill actwickedly;and noneof the wickedwill understand,but those who haveinsightwill understand.
And the dogsare greedy,they are not satisfied.And they are shepherdswho havenounderstanding;They have allturnedto their own way,Eachoneto his unjustgain,to the lastone.
Wherewill you be strickenagain,[As] you continuein [your] rebellion?The wholeheadis sickAnd the wholeheartis faint.
Evilmendo not understandjustice,But those who seekthe LORDunderstandallthings.
He also brokedownthe housesof the [male] cultprostituteswhich[were] in the houseof the LORD,wherethe womenwere weavinghangingsfor the Asherah.
He also putawaythe malecultprostitutesfrom the landand removedallthe idolswhichhis fathershad made.
"Noneof the daughtersof Israelshall be a cultprostitute,norshall anyof the sonsof Israelbe a cultprostitute.
Their deedswill not allowthem To returnto their God.For a spiritof harlotryis withinthem, And they do not knowthe LORD.
"These who pantafterthe [very] dustof the earthon the headof the helplessAlso turnasidethe wayof the humble;And a manand his fatherresortto the same girlIn orderto profaneMy holyname.
"Therefore,thussaysthe LORD,Your wifewill becomea harlotin the city,your sonsand your daughterswill fallby the sword,your landwill be parceledup by a [measuring] lineand you yourselfwill dieupon uncleansoil.Moreover, Israelwill certainlygofrom its landinto exile.'"
So Israeljoinedthemselves to Baalof Peor,and the LORDwas angryagainst Israel.
When its limbsare dry,they are brokenoff; Womencome[and] makea firewith them, For they are not a peopleof discernment,Thereforetheir Makerwill not havecompassionon them. And their Creatorwill not be graciousto them.
