Hosea 12

Ephraim feeds on wind

And pursues the east wind continually;

He abounds in falsehood and destruction.

Moreover, he cuts a covenant with Assyria,

And oil is carried to Egypt.

And Yahweh has a contention with Judah

And will punish Jacob according to his ways;

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

In the womb he took his brother by the heel,

And in his maturity he wrestled with God.

Indeed, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;

He wept and sought His favor.

He found Him at Bethel,

And there He spoke with us,

Even Yahweh, the God of hosts,

Yahweh is His name of remembrance.

Therefore, return to your God,

Keep lovingkindness and justice,

And hope in your God continually.

A merchant, in whose hands are deceptive balances,

He loves to oppress.

And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich;

I have found wealth for myself;

In all my labors they will find in me

No iniquity, which would be sin.”

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

I will make you settle in tents again,

As in the days of the appointed festival.

And I have spoken to the prophets,

And I made visions abound,

And by the hand of the prophets I gave parables.

Is there wickedness in Gilead?

Surely they are worthless.

In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;

Yes, their altars are like the stone heaps

Beside the furrows of the field.

Now Jacob fled to the field of Aram,

And Israel worked for a wife,

And for a wife he kept sheep.

But by a prophet Yahweh brought Israel up from Egypt,

And by a prophet he was kept.

Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger;

So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him

And cause his reproach to return to him.