何西阿書 12
1 厄弗辣因愛好颶風，整日追逐東風，說許多謊話，行許多暴行，既與亞述結盟，又給埃及送油。
Ephraim is enjoying wind, And is pursuing an east wind, All the day lying and spoiling he multiplieth, And a covenant with Asshur they make, And oil to Egypt is carried.
2 上主要與以色列爭辯，要按他們的行徑懲罰雅各伯，依照他的行為報復他：
And a controversy hath Jehovah with Judah, To lay a charge on Jacob according to his ways, According to his doings He returneth to him.
3 他在母胎中就欺騙了他的弟兄，及至壯年又曾與天神搏鬥；
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he was a prince with God,
4 他與天神博鬥，並且獲得了勝利；他哭了，曾懇求他開恩；在貝特耳再遇見了他，在那裏天主對他說：──
Yea, he is a prince unto the Messenger, And he overcometh [by] weeping, And he maketh supplication to Him, At Bethel He doth find him, And there He doth speak with us,
5 上主，萬軍的天主，雅威是他的名號x──
Even Jehovah, God of the Hosts, Jehovah [is] His memorial.
6 「至於你，你應當歸向你的天主，遵守仁愛和正義，時刻仰望你的天主。」
And thou, through thy God, dost turn, Kindness and judgment keep thou, And wait on thy God continually.
7 厄弗辣因有如客納罕人，手裏拿著欺詐的天秤，喜行欺騙。
Canaan! in his hand [are] balances of deceit! To oppress he hath loved.
8 厄弗辣因說：「我現在實在成了富翁，發了大財。」然而他所獲得的一切，為補贖他所犯的罪孽，仍嫌不夠。
And Ephraim saith: 'Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself, All my labours — they find not against me iniquity that [is] sin.'
9 自從在埃及地時，我就是上主，你的天主：我必再使你住在帳幕中，如在盛會的節日一樣。
And I — Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, Again do I turn thee back into tents, As in the days of the appointed time.
10 是我向先知們說了話，是我增多了異象，我也必藉先知們消滅他們。
And I have spoken unto the prophets, And I have multiplied vision, And by the hand of the prophets I use similes.
11 在基肋阿得只有罪惡，的確，他們只是虛無；在基耳加耳 他們向牛犢獻了祭，因此他們的祭壇必將成為田畦中的石堆。
Surely Gilead [is] iniquity, Only, vanity they have been, In Gilead bullocks they have sacrificed, Also their altars [are] as heaps, on the furrows of a field.
12 雅各伯曾逃到阿蘭平原，以色列曾為娶妻而服役，曾為娶妻而放羊。
And Jacob doth flee to the country of Aram, And Israel doth serve for a wife, Yea, for a wife he hath kept watch.
13 上主曾藉一位先知領以色列出離埃及，也藉一位先知保護了他們。
And by a prophet hath Jehovah brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet it hath been watched.
14 但厄弗辣因大大激怒了上主，他的血債必要歸到他身上，他的主必要在他身上報復自己受的凌辱。
Ephraim hath provoked most bitterly, And his blood on himself he leaveth, And his reproach turn back to him doth his Lord!
