Hosea 12
1 Ephraim loe takhi caak hanah, ni angzae bang ih takhi to patom; anih mah alinghaih hoi raihaih to ni thokkruek pungsak. Assyria hoi lokmaihaih to a sak o moe, situi to Izip ah a pahwh.
[The leaders of] Israel are constantly wavering [about seeking help from other countries]. [Seeking their help is as useless as] [MET] chasing the wind. They pile up their lies and violent acts. [First, ] they make a treaty with Assyria, and [then they] send olive oil to [the rulers of] Egypt [to seek their help].
2 Angraeng mah Judah to lokcaek hanah suek, a caehhaih loklam baktih toengah Jakob to danpaek tih; a toksakhaih baktih toengah anih mah pathok let tih.
Yahweh [says that he] will bring accusations against [the leaders of] Judah, and that he will punish [the descendants of] Jacob for what they have done.
3 Anih loe amno zok thungah amya ih khok tahmawh to patawnh moe, a thacakhaih hoiah Sithaw apanh kami ah oh:
[When Jacob was] in his mother’s womb, he grabbed his brother [Esau’s] heel [because he wanted to be born first]. When Jacob grew up, he wrestled with God.
4 ue, anih loe van kami hoiah angpanh moe, anih mah payawk; a qah moe, a koehhaih to sak pae hanah anih khaeah hnik. Anih to Bethel ah a hnuk moe, to ah aicae hoi lok apaeh;
He struggled with [the one who had appeared to him in the form of] an angel, and Jacob defeated him, but [then] he cried and asked the angel to bless him. [Later], God came to Jacob at Bethel and talked with him there.
5 Anih loe misatuh Angraeng Sithaw, panoek han koi Anih ih ahmin loe Angraeng, tiah oh.
[That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
6 To pongah nang loe na Sithaw khaeah amlaem ah; tahmenhaih hoi toenghaih to patawn ah loe, na Sithaw to zing poe ah.
But you [people of Israel] must return to your God! You must faithfully love [him], and you must do what is fair/just and always depend on him.
7 Anih loe hmuen zaw kami ah oh moe, a ban ah katoeng ai hmuenzit tahhaih to sinh; anih loe alinghaih koeh kami ah oh.
The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
8 Ephraim mah, kai loe angraeng boeh, kaimah hanah hmuenmae to ka hak boeh; ka sak ih hmuen boih nuiah nihcae mah ka zaehaih to hnu o mak ai, tiah thuih.
[The people of] Israel boast, saying “We are [very] rich [DOU]; and we got all that money by our own efforts, and without committing any sin.”
9 Kai loe Izip prae hoiah nang zaehoikung, Angraeng na Sithaw ah ka oh; poihsakhaih ni nathuem ih baktih toengah, imthung ah kang ohsak let han.
“I am Yahweh your God, [the one who brought your ancestors] out of Egypt. [And some day] I will force you to live in tents again [like your ancestors did] when [they celebrated] the Festival [of Living in Temporary Shelters].
10 Tahmaanawk rang hoiah lok ka thuih, hnuksakhaihnawk to kang pungsak, tahmaanawk toksakhaih rang hoiah patahhaihnawk to ka paek.
[Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
11 Gilead ah sethaih oh maw? Nihcae loe tidoeh na ai ni. Nihcae mah Gilgal ah maitaw taenawk to angbawnhaih ah paek o, toe nihcae ih hmaicamnawk loe laikok thung ih kangpop thlung baktiah ni om o tih.
[The people of] Gilead [city] are [RHQ] extremely wicked; they are worthless. The people sacrifice bulls in Gilgal [city], but their altars will [soon] become like [SIM] piles of stone [at the edge of] a plowed field.
12 Jakob loe Syria prae ah cawnh; Israel loe zu lak hanah tok to sak, zu lak hanah tuu to a toep.
[Your ancestor] Jacob fled [from his brother Esau] and went to northwest Mesopotamia. He worked [for his uncle Laban for many years] to get a wife; he took care of [his uncle’s] sheep [to pay] for her.
13 Tahmaa rang hoiah Israel to Angraeng mah Izip prae hoiah zaeh moe, tahmaa rang hoiah anih to pathlung ah oh.
[Many years later, ] Yahweh enabled a prophet to bring the [ancestors of you] people of Israel here from Egypt; that prophet, [Moses], took care of them.
14 Toe Ephraim mah Anih to kanung parai ah palungphuisak; to pongah Angraeng mah, a sak ih zaehaih baktih toengah athii palonghaih anih nuiah omsak ueloe, kasae thuihaih to a nuiah phasak let tih.
[But now the people of] Israel have caused [Yahweh] to become very angry; Yahweh says that they deserve to die because they caused [many others] to die [MTY]; he will pay them back for the sins that they have committed against him and for insulting him.
