4:1 你們住撒馬利亞山如巴珊母牛的啊，當聽我的話─你們欺負貧寒的，壓碎窮乏的，對家主說：拿酒來，我們喝吧！
4:2 主耶和華指著自己的聖潔起誓說：日子快到，人必用鉤子將你們鉤去，用魚鉤將你們餘剩的鉤去。
4:3 你們各人必從破口直往前行，投入哈門。這是耶和華說的。
4:4 以色列人哪，任你們往伯特利去犯罪，到吉甲加增罪過；每日早晨獻上你們的祭物，每三日奉上你們的十分之一。
4:5 任你們獻有酵的感謝祭，把甘心祭宣傳報告給眾人，因為是你們所喜愛的。這是主耶和華說的。
“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,
who are on the mountain of Samaria,
who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we
may drink!’
The
Lord God has sworn by his holiness
that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
when they shall take you away with hooks,
even the last of you with fishhooks.
And
you shall go out through the breaches,
each one straight ahead;
and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
declares the Lord.
“Come
to Bethel, and transgress;
to Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days;
offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,
and proclaim freewill offerings, publish
them;
for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
declares the Lord God.
*******
以色列人雖然有宗教儀式，卻仍然在罪中，所以上帝仍然要審判以色列，使世人知道上帝是公義的上帝，是恨惡罪惡的，不可以用外表的行為掩飾內在的邪惡。
同樣基督徒也是如此，不要以為自己可以靠主耶穌在上帝面前稱義，就自以為是胡作非為，以為這一切主耶穌都會遮蓋。這是違背上帝透過耶穌基督救贖的本意，祂救贖我們是要歸向上帝脫離罪惡，而不是繼續沉溺罪中。
也因此，基督徒要靠耶穌基督的恩典離開罪惡，成為上帝的兒女，不要讓邪惡在我們身上得勝，要順服聖靈的引導，過聖潔生活，活出聖潔生命，領受聖潔的實際。
