Hosea 12

1 “Ephraim is enjoying wind, And is pursuing an east wind, All the day he multiplies lying and spoiling, And they make a covenant with Asshur, And oil is carried to Egypt.

Ephraim tries to herd the wind, chasing after the east wind all day long. Their lies and violence keep on increasing. They make a treaty with Assyria, and send olive oil to Egypt.

2 And YHWH has a controversy with Judah, To lay a charge on Jacob according to his ways, He returns to him according to his doings.

The Lord also has an accusation against Judah, and will punish Jacob for the way the people act; he will repay them for what they have done.

3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he was a prince with God,

Even in the womb he fought with his brother; when he became a man he fought with God.

4 Indeed, he is a prince to the Messenger, And he overcomes [by] weeping, And he makes supplication to Him, At Bethel He finds him, And there He speaks with us,

He fought with the angel, and he won. He wept, and begged him for a blessing. Jacob found God at Bethel, and spoke with him there—

5 Even YHWH, God of the Hosts, YHWH [is] His memorial.

the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his memorable name!

6 And you, through your God, turn, Keep kindness and judgment, And wait on your God continually.

You must return to your God. Act lovingly and do what is right, and always wait for your God.

7 Canaan! In his hand [are] balances of deceit! He has loved to oppress.

A merchant who holds in his hands dishonest scales loves to swindle.

8 And Ephraim says, Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself, All my labors—they do not find against me iniquity that [is] sin.

Ephraim says, “I'm rich! I've made myself wealthy! I've made so much from my work, and nobody can prove me guilty of doing wrong.”

9 And I—your God YHWH from the land of Egypt, Again I turn you back into tents, As in the days of the appointed time.

But I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I will make you live again in tents like you do at the time of that particular festival.

10 And I have spoken to the prophets, And I have multiplied vision, And by the hand of the prophets I use allegories.

I spoke through the prophets. I myself gave many visions and parables through the prophets.

11 Surely Gilead [is] iniquity, They have been only vanity, In Gilead they have sacrificed bullocks, Also their altars [are] as heaps, on the furrows of a field.

If Gilead is idolatrous, they will surely come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls. Even their altars are like heaps of rocks in the furrows of the field.

12 And Jacob flees to the country of Aram, And Israel serves for a wife, Indeed, he has kept watch for a wife.

Jacob fled to the land of Aram; Israel worked there to gain a wife, earning a wife by looking after sheep.

13 And by a prophet has YHWH brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet it has been watched.

Through a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet they were cared for.

14 Ephraim has most bitterly provoked, And he leaves his blood on himself, And his Lord turns his reproach back to him!”

Ephraim has really upset the Lord, and the Lord will let them have the consequences of their bloodshed and pay them back for their contempt.