Chapter 12
Israel Ever Deceitful
1 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit.
But Judah still remains aligned with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
2 Ephraim chases the wind,
ever pursuing the east wind throughout the day.
Numerous are his lies and treachery;
he makes a treaty with Assyria
while sending oil to Egypt.
3 The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah;
he will punish Jacob as his conduct deserves;
he will requite him according to his deeds.
4 While still in the womb he supplanted his brother,
and as a man he struggled with God.
5 He contended with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and entreated his favor.
He met God at Bethel
and spoke with him there.
6 The Lord, the God of hosts,
the Lord is his name.
7 Turn back with God’s help;
remain loyal and act justly,
and always put your trust in him.
8 Merchants use dishonest scales,
for they love to defraud.
9 Ephraim says,
“I have become very rich;
I have made a fortune.”
But all his wealth will avail him nothing
because of the guilt incurred by his sin.
10 I am the Lord, your God
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
I will make you live in tents yet again
as in the days of the appointed festival.
11 I spoke to the prophets,
to whom I granted many visions
and through whom I will speak in parables.
12 Gilead is a hotbed of iniquity;
the people there are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
their altars are like piles of stones
on a plowed field.
13 Jacob fled to the country of Aram;
Israel did service to obtain a wife,
paying for her by tending sheep.
14 By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
and by a prophet they were protected.
15 Ephraim gave bitter provocation to the Lord;
therefore he will suffer for the blood he has shed,
and the Lord will punish him for his insults.
Footnotes
- Hosea 12:14
