Osea 12
1 Efraim si pasce di vento e va dietro al vento d’oriente; ogni giorno moltiplica le menzogna e le violenze; fa alleanza con l’Assiria, e porta dell’olio in Egitto.
[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 L’Eterno è anche in lite con Giuda, e punirà Giacobbe per la sua condotta, gli renderà secondo le sue opere.
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 Nel seno materno egli prese il fratello per il calcagno, e, nel suo vigore, lottò con Dio;
[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 lottò con l’angelo, e restò vincitore; egli pianse e lo supplicò. A Bethel lo trovò, e quivi egli parlò con noi.
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 Or l’Eterno è l’Iddio degli eserciti; il suo nome è l’Eterno
[That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
6 Tu, dunque, torna al tuo Dio, pratica la misericordia e la giustizia, e spera sempre nel tuo Dio.
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 Efraim è un Cananeo che tiene in mano bilance false; egli ama estorcere.
The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
8 Efraim dice: “E’ vero, io mi sono arricchito, mi sono acquistato de’ beni; però, in tutti i frutti delle mie fatiche non si troverà alcuna mia iniquità, alcunché di peccaminoso”.
[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 Ma io sono l’Eterno, il tuo Dio, fin dal paese d’Egitto: io ti farò ancora abitare in tende, come nei giorni di solennità.
“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 Ed ho parlato hai profeti, ho moltiplicato le visioni, e per mezzo de’ profeti ha proposto parabole.
[Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
11 Se Galaad è vanità, sarà ridotto in nulla. A Ghilgal immolano buoi; così i loro altari saran come mucchi di pietre sui solchi dei campi.
[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 Giacobbe fuggì nella pianura d’Aram, e Israele servì per una moglie, e per una moglie si fe’ guardiano di greggi.
[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 Mediante un profeta, l’Eterno trasse Israele fuori d’Egitto; e Israele fu custodito da un profeta.
[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 Efraim ha provocato amaramente il suo Signore; perciò questi gli farà ricadere addosso il sangue che ha versato; e farà tornare su lui i suoi obbrobri.
[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.
