Hosea 12
1 "Nach Sturm geht Ephraims Verlangen; dem Ostwind jagt es nach. Den ganzen Tag lang häuft es Lüge und Verderben. Bald schließt es einen Bund mit Assur; bald bringt es nachägypten Öl."
[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].
2 Jedoch mit Juda muß der Herr auch rechten. - Nach seinem Wandel aber straft er Jakob, um ihm nach seinen Werken zu vergelten.
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.
3 "Im Mutterschoße schon betrog er seinen Bruder.
[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.
4 Er kämpfte gegen einen Engel und obsiegte, nachdem er unter Tränen ihn um Gnade angefleht. Zu Betel hat er wieder ihn gefunden und dort mit ihm geredet."
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.
5 "Der Herr, Gott der Heerscharen Herr", das ist sein Name.
[That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
6 Doch kehre um zu deinem Gott! Befleiße dich der Tugend und Gerechtigkeit! Und hoffe stets auf deinen Gott!
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.
7 "Falschwaage hält der Kanaaniter in der Hand; er liebt Betrügerei."
The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
8 Da sagt nun Ephraim: "Auch ich bin reich geworden; ich habe Schätze mir erworben. An allem, was ich mühevoll errang, ist kein Vergehn zu finden, das da Sünde wäre."
[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.”
9 "Ich, der Herr, ich bin dein Gott vom Land Ägypten her. In Zelten laß ich wiederum dich wohnen wie in den Tagen der Versammlung.
“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].
10 Ich rede abermals zu den Propheten, laß ein Gesicht aufs andere folgen und lehre auch in Gleichnissen durch die Propheten."
[Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
11 Gileads Schandbilder sind eitel Eitelkeit; in Gilgal schlachten sie zum Opfer Knaben; Altäre haben sie so viel wie Haufen Steine auf den Furchen ihrer Äcker.
[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.
12 "In Syriens Gefilde floh einst Jakob, und um ein Weib ward Israel ein Knecht, und um ein Weib hat er gehütet."
[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.
13 Durch einen Seher aber hat der Herr einst Israel aus dem Ägypterland herausgeführt; durch einen Seher ward's gehütet.
[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.
14 Doch hat ihm bittern Kummer Ephraim bereitet; drum wird er seine Blutschuld auf ihm lassen, und ahnden wird der Herr an ihm die zugefügte Schmach.
[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.
