Hosea 12
1 Efraïm verlangt naar wind en jaagt de stormen na, Hij is altijd uit op valsheid en leugen: Met Assjoer sluiten zij een verbond, Naar Egypte brengen zij olie.
[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 Daarom zal Jahweh Israël richten, En Jakob bestraffen, Hem naar zijn gedrag En zijn werken vergelden.
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 In de moederschoot heeft hij zijn broer onderkropen, In zijn mannelijke kracht met God durven worstelen;
[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 Met den engel gestreden en hem overwonnen, Wenend hem om genade gesmeekt. In Betel vond hij Hem terug; Daar sprak Jahweh tot hem,
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 De God der heirscharen, Jahweh is zijn Naam:
[That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
6 "Met de hulp van uw God keert ge terug; Houd u aan vroomheid en recht, Blijf vertrouwen op uw God In Kanaän voor altijd!"
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 Maar gaarne bedroog hij met valse schalen,
The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
8 Efraïm zeide: Als ik maar rijk word, en vermogen verwerf; Maar al zijn winsten wogen niet op Tegen de misdaad, die hij beging.
[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 Ik ben Jahweh, uw God, Van Egypteland af: Ik zal u weer onder tenten doen wonen Als in vroegere tijd.
“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 Ik heb tot de profeten gesproken, En vele visioenen doen zien; Door de mond der profeten Kondig ik hun ondergang aan.
[Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
11 In Gilad heerst enkel slechtheid en leugen, In Gilgal brengen ze stieren ten offer: Zo zullen hun altaren tot steenhopen worden In de voren der akkers.
[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 vluchtte naar de vlakte van Aram, Voor een vrouw heeft Israël gediend en de kudde gehoed:
[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 Maar door een profeet heeft Jahweh Israël uit Egypte geleid, Door een profeet hem gehoed.
[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 Maar Efraïm is bitter Zijn God blijven tarten: Nu zal de Heer zijn bloedschuld wreken, En zijn hoon hem vergelden!
[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.
