Hosea 12

12^aEphraim^f 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

²The Lord has a charge^k to bring against Judah;^l

he will punish^m Jacob^b according to his ways

and repay him according to his deeds.ⁿ

³In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;^o

as a man he struggled^p with God.

⁴He struggled with the angel and overcame him;

he wept and begged for his favor.

He found him at Bethel^q

and talked with him there—

⁵the Lord God Almighty,

the Lord is his name!^r

⁶But you must return^s to your God;

maintain love and justice,^t

and wait for your God always.^u

⁷The merchant uses dishonest scales^v

and loves to defraud.

⁸Ephraim 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 tents^z again,

as in the days of your appointed festivals.

¹⁰I spoke to the prophets,

gave them many visions

and told parables^a through them.”^b

¹¹Is 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

¹²Jacob fled to the country of Aram^c;^f

Israel served to get a wife,

and to pay for her he tended sheep.^g

¹³The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,^h

by a prophet he cared for him.ⁱ

¹⁴But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;

his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed^j

and will repay him for his contempt.^k