Hosea 12

1 Ephraim feeds on the wind and follows after the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and violence. They make a covenant with Assyria and carry olive oil to Egypt.

Ephraim's food is the wind, and he goes after the east wind: deceit and destruction are increasing day by day; they make an agreement with Assyria, and take oil into Egypt.

2 Yahweh also has a lawsuit against Judah and will punish Jacob for what he has done; he will repay him for his deeds.

The Lord has a cause against Judah, and will give punishment to Jacob for his ways; he will give him the reward of his acts.

3 In the womb Jacob grasped his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he struggled with God.

In the body of his mother he took his brother by the foot, and in his strength he was fighting with God;

4 He struggled with the angel and won. He wept and begged for his favor. He met God at Bethel; there God spoke with him.

He had a fight with the angel and overcame him; he made request for grace to him with weeping; he came face to face with him in Beth-el and there his words came to him;

5 This is Yahweh, the God of hosts; “Yahweh” is his name to be called on.

Even the Lord, the God of armies; the Lord is his name.

6 So turn to your God. Keep covenantal faithfulness and justice, and wait continually for your God.

So then, come back to your God; keep mercy and right, and be waiting at all times on your God.

7 The merchants have false scales in their hands; they love to defraud.

As for Canaan, the scales of deceit are in his hands; he takes pleasure in twisted ways.

8 Ephraim said, “I have certainly become very rich; I have found wealth for myself. In all my work they will not find any iniquity in me, anything that would be sin.”

And Ephraim said, Now I have got wealth and much property; in all my works no sin may be seen in me.

9 “I am Yahweh your God from the land of Egypt. I will again make you live in tents, as in the days of the appointed festival.

But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; I will give you tents for your living-places again as in the days of the holy meeting.

10 I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions for you. By the hand of the prophets I gave parables.”

My word came to the ears of the prophets and I gave them visions in great number, and by the mouths of the prophets I made use of comparisons.

11 If there is wickedness in Gilead, surely the people are worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars will be like heaps of stone in the furrows of the fields.

In Gilead there is evil. They are quite without value; in Gilgal they make offerings of oxen; truly their altars are like masses of stones in the hollows of a ploughed field.

12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram; Israel worked in order to get a wife; and he kept flocks of sheep to get a wife.

And Jacob went in flight into the field of Aram, and Israel became a servant for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.

13 Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and by a prophet he took care of them.

And by a prophet the Lord made Israel come up out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was kept safe.

14 Ephraim has bitterly angered Yahweh. So his Lord will leave his blood on him and will turn back on him his disgrace.

I have been bitterly moved to wrath by Ephraim; so that his blood will be on him, and the Lord will make his shame come back on him.