Hosea 12
1 ʻOku kai ʻe ʻIfalemi ʻae matangi, pea ʻoku muimui ki he matangi hahake: ʻoku ne fakalahi ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻae loi mo e fakaʻauha, pea ʻoku nau fai ʻae fuakava mo e kau ʻAsilia, pea ʻoku ʻave ʻae lolo ki ʻIsipite.
[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 ʻOku ai foki ʻae fakakikihi ʻa Sihova mo Siuta, pea te ne tautea ʻa Sēkope ʻo fakatatau ki hono ngaahi hala; ʻo fakatatau ki heʻene ngaahi faianga, te ne totongi kiate ia.
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 Naʻa ne kuku ʻae muivaʻe ʻo hono taʻokete ʻi he manāva, pea ʻi hono mālohi naʻa ne lavaʻi ʻae ʻOtua:
[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 ʻIo, naʻa ne mālohi ki he ʻāngelo, pea ne lavaʻi: naʻa ne tangi, pea ne lotu tāumaʻu kiate ia: naʻa ne ʻilo ia ʻi Peteli, pea naʻa ne folofola kiate kitautolu ʻi ai.
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 ʻIo, ko Sihova, ko e ʻOtua ʻoe ngaahi tokolahi; ko Sihova ko hono fakamanatu ia.
[That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
6 Ko ia, tafoki koe ki ho ʻOtua: fai ki he ʻaloʻofa mo e fakamaau, pea tatali ki ho ʻOtua maʻuaipē.
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 Ko e tangata fakatau ia, ʻoku ʻi hono nima ʻae meʻa fua tautau ʻoe kākā: ʻoku ne manako ke fakamālohiʻi.
The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
8 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe ʻIfalemi, “Kuo hoko au ʻo koloaʻia, kuo u ʻilo maʻaku ʻae meʻa lahi: ʻi heʻeku ngaahi ngāue kotoa pē ʻe ʻikai te nau ʻilo ai ha hia ʻiate au ke angahala.”
[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 “Pea ko au, ko Sihova, ko ho ʻOtua, mei he fonua ʻo ʻIsipite, te u toe ngaohi koe ke nofo ʻi he ngaahi fale fehikitaki, ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi ʻaho ʻoe kātoanga mamafa.
“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 Kuo u lea foki ʻi he kau palōfita, pea kuo u fakalahi ʻae ngaahi meʻa hā mai, pea kuo u lea ʻaki ʻae fakatātā, ʻi he ngāue ʻae kau palōfita.
[Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
11 ʻOku ai ʻae hia ʻi Kiliati? Ta ko e moʻoni ko e vaʻinga ʻakinautolu: ʻoku nau feilaulau ʻaki ʻae fanga pulu ʻi Kilikali; ʻio, ko honau ngaahi feilaulauʻanga ʻoku hangē ko e fokotuʻunga ʻi he ngaahi luo ʻoe ngoue.
[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 Pea naʻe hola ʻa Sēkope ki he fonua ʻo Silia, pea naʻe tauhi ʻe ʻIsileli ke maʻu ha uaifi, pea ke maʻu ha uaifi naʻa ne tauhi sipi.
[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 Pea naʻe ʻomi ʻe Sihova ʻa ʻIsileli mei ʻIsipite ʻi ha palōfita, pea ʻi ha palōfita naʻe fakamoʻui ia.
[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 Naʻe fakatupu ʻiate ia ʻae houhau fakamamahi ʻe ʻIfalemi: ko ia te ne tuku hono toto ʻiate ia, pea ko hono manuki ʻe toe liliu kiate ia ʻe hono ʻEiki.
[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.
