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 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.

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.

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

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

In the womb Jacob grasped his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he struggled 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 struggled with the angel and won. He wept and begged for his favor. He met God at Bethel; there God spoke with him.

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

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

6 And thou, through thy God, dost turn, Kindness and judgment keep thou, And wait on thy God continually.

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

7 Canaan! in his hand [are] balances of deceit! To oppress he hath loved.

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

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 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.”

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.

“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.

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

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 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.

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 in order to get a wife; and he kept flocks of sheep to get a wife.

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

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

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