Hosea 12
12 a Ephraimf feeds on the wind;g
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.h
He makes a treaty with Assyriai
and sends olive oil to Egypt.j
2 The Lord has a chargek to bring against Judah;l
he will punishm Jacobb according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.n
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;o
as a man he struggledp with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethelq
and talked with him there—
the Lord is his name!r
6 But you must returns to your God;
maintain love and justice,t
and wait for your God always.u
7 The merchant uses dishonest scalesv
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,w
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.x
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin.”
9 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;y
I will make you live in tentsz again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
gave them many visions
and told parablesa through them.”b
11 Is Gilead wicked?c
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?d
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.e
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aramc;f
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.g
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,h
by a prophet he cared for him.i
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshedj
and will repay him for his contempt.k