Hosea 12

12“Ephraim ^afeeds on the wind,

And pursues the east wind;

He daily increases lies and ¹desolation.

^bAlso they make a ²covenant with the Assyrians,

And ^coil is carried to Egypt.

²“The ^dLord also brings a ³charge against Judah,

And will punish Jacob according to his ways;

According to his deeds He will recompense him.

³He took his brother ^eby the heel in the womb,

And in his strength he ^fstruggled with God.

⁴Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;

He wept, and sought favor from Him.

He found Him in ^gBethel,

And there He spoke to us—

⁵That is, the Lord God of hosts.

The Lord is His ^hmemorable name.

⁶ⁱSo you, by the help of your God, return;

Observe mercy and justice,

And wait on your God continually.

⁷“A cunning ⁴Canaanite!

^jDeceitful scales are in his hand;

He loves to oppress.

⁸And Ephraim said,

^k‘Surely I have become rich,

I have found wealth for myself;

In all my labors

They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’

⁹“But I am the Lord your God,

Ever since the land of Egypt;

^lI will again make you dwell in tents,

As in the days of the appointed feast.

^10mI have also spoken by the prophets,

And have multiplied visions;

I have given ⁵symbols ⁶through the witness of the prophets.”

¹¹Though ⁿGilead has idols—

Surely they are ⁷vanity—

Though they sacrifice bulls in ^oGilgal,

Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.

¹²Jacob ^pfled to the country of Syria;

^qIsrael served for a spouse,

And for a wife he tended sheep.

^13rBy a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,

And by a prophet he was preserved.

¹⁴Ephraim ^sprovoked Him to anger most bitterly;

Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,

^tAnd return his reproach upon him.