Hosea 12
1 Men Ephraim gapar efter väder, och löper efter östanväder, och gör hvar dag mer afguderi och skada; de göra förbund med Assur, och föra balsam uti Egypten;
[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 Derföre skall Herren beskärma Juda, och hemsöka Jacob efter hans vägar, och löna honom efter hans förtjenst.
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 Ja, ( säga de ) han hafver undertryckt sin broder i moderlifvena, och af allo magt kämpat med Gudi.
[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 Han kämpade med Ängelen, och vann; ty han gret, och bad honom; der hafver han ju funnit honom i BethEl, och der hafver han talat med oss.
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 Men Herren är Gud Zebaoth; Herre är hans Namn.
[That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
6 Så omvänd dig nu till din Gud; gör barmhertighet och rätt, och hoppas allstädes uppå din Gud.
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 Men köpmannen hafver en falsk våg i sine hand, och bedrager gerna.
The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
8 Ty Ephraim säger: Jag är rik, jag hafver nog; man skall intet ondt finna i allt mitt arbete, det synd är.
[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 Men jag, Herren, är din Gud, allt ifrå Egypti land, och den dig låter ännu i hyddom bo, såsom man i årstider plägar;
“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 Och talar till Propheterna; och jag är den som så många prophetier gifver, och förkunnar genom Propheterna, ho jag är.
[Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
11 Uti Gilead är alltsamman afguderi, och i Gilgal offra de oxar fåfängeliga, och hafva så mång altare, som skylarna på åkren stå.
[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 Jacob miste fly uti Syrie land, och Israel måste tjena för ena hustru; för ena hustru måste han vakta.
[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 Men derefter förde Herren Israel utur Egypten, genom en Prophet, och lät bevara honom genom en Prophet.
[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 Men nu förtörnar honom Ephraim genom sina afgudar; derföre skall deras blod komma öfver dem, och deras herre skall vedergälla dem deras försmädelse.
[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.
