< 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, all the day, falsehood and force, doth he magnify, —and, a covenant with Assyria, would they solemnize, and, oil into Egypt, must be borne along.
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, a controversy, hath Yahweh with Judah, —so that he may bring punishment on Jacob, according to his ways, According to his doings, repay 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, took he his brother by the heel; and, in his manly vigour, strove he 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,
Yea he strove against a Messenger, and prevailed, he wept, and made supplication unto him, —At Bethel, he found him, and, there, he spake with us;
5 Even YHWH, God of the Hosts, YHWH [is] His memorial.
And, Yahweh, is God of host, —Yahweh, is his memorial.
6 And you, through your God, turn, Keep kindness and judgment, And wait on your God continually.
Thou, therefore, by thy God, shalt return, —lovingkindness and justice, do thou keep, so wait thou for thy God, continually.
7 Canaan! In his hand [are] balances of deceit! He has loved to oppress.
A trafficker! in his hand, are balances of deceit, to oppress, he loveth.
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.
So then Ephraim said, Surely I have gotten me riches, I have found wealth for myself, —in all my toils, they cannot find in me perversity which is 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.
But, I, Yahweh, have been thy God, from the land of Egypt, —I will yet make thee dwell in tents, as in the days of appointed meeting.
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 will lay my word upon the prophets, yea, I myself, have magnified, vision, —and, by the hand of the prophets, will I use 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, Gilead, is in sorrow, surely false, have they been, In Gilgal, have they sacrificed, bullocks, —their very altars, shall become as heaps upon 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.
When Jacob fled to the country of Syria, then Israel served for a wife, and, for a wife, he watched over a flock.
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, Yahweh, brought up, Israel out of Egypt, —and, by a prophet, was he watched over.
14 Ephraim has most bitterly provoked, And he leaves his blood on himself, And his Lord turns his reproach back to him!”
Ephraim hath provoked, very bitterly, —his own blood, therefore, upon him, will he leave, and, his reproach, shall his Lord, bring back to him.