Hosea 12

CHAPTER 12

1 1Ephraim feeds on awind

And pursues the beast wind continually;

He abounds in falsehood and destruction.

Moreover, 2he cuts a covenant with Assyria,

And oil is carried to Egypt.

Yahweh’s Contention with Judah

2 And Yahweh has a acontention with Judah

And will punish Jacob baccording to his ways;

He will cause everything to return to him according to his deeds.

3 In the womb he atook his brother by the heel,

And in his maturity he 1 bwrestled with God.

4 Indeed, he 1wrestled with the angel and prevailed;

He wept and asought His favor.

He found Him at bBethel,

And there He spoke with us,

5 Even Yahweh, the God of hosts,

Yahweh is His 1 aname of remembrance.

6 Therefore, areturn to your God,

bKeep lovingkindness and justice,

And chope in your God continually.

7 A 1merchant, in whose hands are deceptive abalances,

He loves to oppress.

8 And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become arich;

I have found wealth for myself;

In all my labors they will find in me

bNo iniquity, which would be sin.”

9 But I have been Yahweh your God since the land of Egypt;

I will make you asettle in tents again,

As in the days of the appointed festival.

10 And I have spoken to the aprophets,

And I 1made visions abound,

And by the hand of the prophets I gave bparables.

11 Is there wickedness in Gilead?

Surely they are worthless.

In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;

Yes, atheir altars are like the stone heaps

Beside the furrows of the field.

12 Now aJacob fled to the field of Aram,

And bIsrael worked for a wife,

And for a wife he kept sheep.

13 But by a aprophet Yahweh brought Israel up from Egypt,

And by a prophet he was kept.

14 aEphraim has provoked to bitter anger;

So his Lord will leave his bbloodguilt on him

And cause his creproach to return to him.