Hos 12 | LSB | STEP | Ephraim feeds on wind And pursues the east wind continually; He abounds in falsehood and destruction. Moreover, he cuts a covenant with Assyria, And oil is carried to Egypt.

Hosea 12

1 ^{▼▼ Ch 12:2 in Heb}Ephraim feeds on wind
And pursues the east wind continually;
He abounds in falsehood and destruction.
Moreover, ^{▼▼Lit they cut}he cuts a covenant with Assyria,
And oil is carried to Egypt.

Yahweh’s Contention with Judah

2 And Yahweh has a contention with Judah
And will punish Jacob according to his ways;
He will cause everything to return to him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
And in his maturity he ^{▼▼Or strove, cf. Gen 32:28}wrestled with God.
4 Indeed, he ^{▼▼Or strove, cf. Gen 32:28}wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and sought His favor.
He found Him at Bethel,
And there He spoke with us,
5 Even Yahweh, the God of hosts,
Yahweh is His ^{▼▼Lit memorial}name of remembrance.
6 Therefore, return to your God,
Keep lovingkindness and justice,
And hope in your God continually.
7 A ^{▼▼Or Canaanite}merchant, in whose hands are deceptive balances,
He loves to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich;
I have found wealth for myself;
In all my labors they will find in me
No iniquity, which would be sin.”
9 But I have been Yahweh your God since the land of Egypt;
I will make you settle in tents again,
As in the days of the appointed festival.
10 And I have spoken to the prophets,
And I ^{▼▼Lit multiplied the vision}made visions abound,
And by the hand of the prophets I gave parables.
11 Is there wickedness in Gilead?
Surely they are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
Yes, their altars are like the stone heaps
Beside the furrows of the field.
12 Now Jacob fled to the field of Aram,
And Israel worked for a wife,
And for a wife he kept sheep.
13 But by a prophet Yahweh brought Israel up from Egypt,
And by a prophet he was kept.
14 Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger;
So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
And cause his reproach to return to him.