Hosea 12

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

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 a controversy hath Jehovah with Judah, To lay a charge on Jacob according to his ways, According to his doings He returneth to him.

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 Yea, he is a prince unto the Messenger, And he overcometh [by] weeping, And he maketh supplication to Him, At Bethel He doth find him, And there He doth speak 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 Jehovah, God of the Hosts, Jehovah [is] His memorial.

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

6 And thou, through thy God, dost turn, Kindness and judgment keep thou, And wait on thy 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! To oppress he hath loved.

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

8 And Ephraim saith: 'Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself, All my labours — they find not 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 — Jehovah thy God from the land of Egypt, Again do I turn thee 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 unto the prophets, And I have multiplied vision, And by the hand of the prophets I use similes.

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

11 Surely Gilead [is] iniquity, Only, vanity they have been, In Gilead bullocks they have sacrificed, 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 doth flee to the country of Aram, And Israel doth serve for a wife, Yea, for a wife he hath kept watch.

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 hath Jehovah brought up Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet it hath been watched.

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

14 Ephraim hath provoked most bitterly, And his blood on himself he leaveth, And his reproach turn back to him doth his Lord!

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.