Hosea 12
1 Efiraimu arĩĩaga rũhuho; ahanyũkagia rũhuho rwa mwena wa irathĩro mũthenya wothe, na akaingĩhia maheeni na haaro. Agĩĩaga na kĩrĩkanĩro na Ashuri, na agatũmana maguta ma mĩtamaiyũ matwarwo bũrũri wa Misiri.
[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 Jehova arĩ na thitango ekũrehe ya gũũkĩrĩra Juda; nĩakaherithia Jakubu kũringana na njĩra ciake, na amũrĩhe kũringana na ciĩko ciake.
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 Arĩ nda ya nyina nĩanyiitire ndiira ya mũrũ wa nyina; aatuĩka mũndũ mũgima-rĩ, nĩagianire na Ngai.
[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 Nĩagianire na mũraika, na akĩmũtooria; akĩrĩra na akĩmũthaitha amũrathime. Aamũkorire Betheli na makĩaranĩria nake kũu:
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 Jehova Ngai Mwene-Hinya-Wothe, Jehova nĩrĩo rĩĩtwa rĩake rĩrĩa rĩrĩ ngumo.
[That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
6 No rĩrĩ, wee no nginya ũcookerere Ngai waku, na ũtũũrie wendo na kĩhooto, na wetagĩrĩre Ngai waku hĩndĩ ciothe.
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 Mwonjorithia ahũthagĩra gĩthimi gĩtarĩ kĩa ma; endaga kũiya na wara.
The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
8 Efiraimu eganaga, akoiga atĩrĩ, “Niĩ ndĩ mũtongu mũno; niĩ nĩnduĩkĩte gĩtonga. No o na ndĩ na ũtonga ũcio wothe, matingĩona waganu kana wĩhia o na ũrĩkũ thĩinĩ wakwa.”
[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 “Nĩ niĩ Jehova Ngai wanyu, ũrĩa wamũrutire bũrũri wa Misiri; nĩngatũma mũtũũre hema-inĩ rĩngĩ, o ta ũrĩa mwatũũraga matukũ-inĩ ma ciathĩ cianyu iria nyamũre.
“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 Nĩndarĩirie anabii, ngĩmahe cioneki nyingĩ, na ngĩheana ngerekano na tũnua twao.”
[Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
11 Gileadi-rĩ, nĩ kũrĩ waganu? Andũ akuo nĩ a tũhũ! Nĩmarutagĩra igongona rĩa ndegwa kũu Giligali? Igongona ciao igaatuĩka ta hĩba cia mahiga irĩ mũgũnda-inĩ mũciimbe.
[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 Jakubu nĩorĩire bũrũri wa Aramu; Isiraeli aatungatire nĩguo egĩĩre na mũtumia, na nĩgeetha amũgũre-rĩ, aarĩithirie ngʼondu.
[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 Jehova aahũthĩrire mũnabii kũruta Isiraeli kuuma bũrũri wa Misiri, na akĩmũmenyerera na guoko kwa mũnabii.
[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 No Efiraimu nĩatũmĩte Jehova arakare mũno. Mwathani wake nĩagatũma acookererwo nĩ ihĩtia rĩake rĩa ũiti wa thakame, na amũrĩhe nĩ ũndũ wa rũmena rwake.
[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.
