XII. * Ephraim afeedeth on wind, and followeth after bthe east wind:

He daily increaseth lies and cdesolation;

And dthey do make a covenant with the Assyrians,

And eoil is carried finto Egypt.

2  gThe Lord hath also a controversy with Judah,

And hwill * punish Jacob according to his ways;

hAccording to his doings iwill he recompense him.

3  jHe took his brother by the heel in the womb,

And by his strength he * khad power with God:

4  kYea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed:

lHe wept, and made supplication unto him:

mHe found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us;

5  Even the Lord God of hosts; nthe Lord is his memorial.

6  Therefore oturn thou to thy God:

pKeep mercy and judgment,

And qwait on thy God continually.

7  He is * a merchant, rthe balances of deceit are in his hand:

He loveth to * oppress.

8  And Ephraim said, Yet sI am become rich, I have found me out substance:

* In all my labours vthey shall find none iniquity in me * that were sin.

9  And wI that am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt

Will yet make thee xto dwell in tabernacles, xas in the days of the solemn feast.

10  yI have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied zvisions,

And used similitudes * by the ministry of the prophets.

11  aIs there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity:

They sacrifice bullocks bin Gilgal;

Yea, ctheir altars are as heaps din the furrows of the fields.

12  And eJacob fled into the country of Syria,

And Israel fserved for a wife, and for a wife he ikept sheep.

13  And gby a prophet hthe Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,

And gby a prophet was he ipreserved.

14  Ephraim kprovoked him to anger * most bitterly:

Therefore lshall he leave his * blood upon him,

And mhis reproach shall his Lord nreturn unto him.