Hosea 12
1 [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].
Efraim ƒua du kplɔa ya ɖo, etia ɣedzeƒeya yome ŋkekea katã, eye wòdzia alakpa kple ŋutasesẽ ɖe edzi. Ebla nu kple Asiria, eye wòɖo ami ɖe Egipte.
2 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.
Yehowa tsɔ nya ɖe Yuda hã ŋuti. Woahe to na Yakob hã le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo ta, eye woaɖo eƒe nuwɔnawo teƒe nɛ.
3 [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.
Le dɔ me la, elé nɔvia ƒe afɔkpodzi, eye esi wòtsi zu ŋutsu la, ete kame kple Mawu.
4 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.
Ɛ̃, ete kame kple mawudɔla, eye wòɖu edzi gɔ̃ hã. Efa avi heɖe kuku nɛ be wòayra ye. Edo go Mawu le Betel, ƒo nu kplii le afi ma.
5 [That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
Yehowa, Mawu Ŋusẽkatãtɔ si ŋkɔe nye Yehowa la ƒo nu nɛ,
6 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.
eya ta mitrɔ gbɔ va miaƒe Mawu la gbɔ. Minɔ agbe le nyateƒetoto kple lɔlɔ̃ me, eye miɖo ŋu ɖe miaƒe Mawu la ŋu be wòawɔ nu geɖe na mi.
7 The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
Alakpanudanu le asitsalawo si, wolɔ̃a amebaba.
8 [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.”
Efraim dana gblɔna be: “Kesinɔtɔ gã aɖee menye! Le nye kesinɔnu gbogboawo ta la, womakpɔ vodada alo nu vɔ̃ le menye o.”
9 “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].
“Yehowa ɖeka kple Mawu ɖeka ma, si ɖe wò tso kluvinyenye me le Egipte lae menye, eye nye kee ana mianɔ agbadɔwo me abe ale si miewɔnɛ ƒe sia ƒe le Agbadɔmeŋkekenyuiɖuɖu me ene.
10 [Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
Medɔ nye nyagblɔɖilawo be woaxlɔ̃ nu mi to ŋutega, drɔ̃ekuku kple lododowo me.”
11 [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.
Ɖe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi le Gilgal mahã? Vavã wonye bometsilawo. Wotsɔ nyitsuwo sa vɔe le Gilead. Ɛ̃, woagbã woƒe vɔsamlekpuiwo ali kɔe ɖe agble dzi.
12 [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.
Yakob si yi ɖe Siria, eye Israel subɔ be yeaɖe srɔ̃, eye be yeakpɔ ga abia nyɔnu ta la, ekplɔ alẽ.
13 [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.
Yehowa kplɔ eƒe dukɔ la do goe le Egipte to nyagblɔɖila aɖe dzi, eye wòdzɔ wo ŋuti, fia mɔ wo,
14 [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.
gake Efraim do dɔmedzoe na Yehowa vevie. Eƒe Aƒetɔ la ana eƒe nu vɔ̃wo ƒe ʋu nava eƒe ta dzi, eye wòaɖo eteƒe nɛ.
