God’s charge against Judah
12 [a] Ephraim herds the wind,
and pursues the east wind all day long;
they multiply lies and violence;
they make a treaty with Assyria,
and oil is carried to Egypt.
2 The Lord has a charge against Judah,
and will punish Jacob according to his ways,
and respond to him according to his deeds.
3 From the womb he tried to be the oldest of twin brothers;
as an adult he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the messenger and survived;
he wept and sought his favor;
he met him at Bethel,
and there he spoke with him.
5 The Lord God of heavenly forces,
the Lord is his name!
6 But you! Return to your God
with faithful love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.
7 He is a merchant; the means to cheat are in his hands;
he loves to take advantage of others.
8 Ephraim has said,
“I’m rich,
I’ve gained wealth for myself;
in all of my gain
no offense has been found in me
that would be sin.”
9 I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
I will make you live in tents again,
as in former days.
10 I spoke to the prophets;
and I multiplied visions,
and through them I uttered parables.
11 In Gilead there is wickedness;
they will surely come to nothing.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
so their altars will be like piles of stones
on the rows of the field.
12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
there Israel served for a wife,
and for a wife he kept watch over livestock.
13 By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet he was guarded.
14 Ephraim has given bitter offense;
so the Lord will bring his crimes down on him
and pay him back for his wrongdoing.
Footnotes
- Hosea 12:1 12:2 in Heb