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 feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind; the whole day he increaseth deceit and corruption; and a covenant do they make with Assyria, and oil is carried into 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.

But with Judah also hath the Lord [to hold] a controversy; and to punish Jacob according to his ways, according to his doings will he recompense him.

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

In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his strength he strove with an angel.

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,

Yea, he strove with an angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him: in Beth-el he should find him, and there he will speak with us.

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

And the Lord God of hosts, the Eternal One is his memorial.

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

Therefore do thou return to thy God: keep goodness and justice, and wait on thy God continually.

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

But like a merchant, who hath the balances of deceit in his hand, loving to overreach,

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.

Did Ephraim say, I am certainly become rich, I have acquired substance unto myself: it is all through my labors; they will find no iniquity in me, that could be sin.

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.

And I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt: I will yet make thee dwell in tents, as in the days of antiquity.

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

And I have spoken through the prophets, and I myself have multiplied visions, and by the means of the prophets have I spoken in similitudes.

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 in Gil'ad there was misfortune, [it is because] there was naught but idolatry; in Gilgal they sacrificed bullocks [to idols]: their altars also are as stone-heaps on the furrows of the fields.

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

And Jacob fled into the fields of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept [the flocks].

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

And by a prophet did the Lord bring Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he guarded.

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

[Yet] Ephraim provoked [him] to anger most bitterly: therefore will his Lord cast his blood-guiltiness upon him, and his reproach will he recompense unto him.