Hosea 12

1 Ephraim feeds on the wind
and pursues a the east wind all day long;
they multiply b falsehood and violence;
c they make a covenant with Assyria,
and d oil is carried to Egypt.

The  Lord’s Indictment of Israel and Judah

2  e The  Lord has an indictment against Judah
and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
he will repay him according to his deeds.
 3  f In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
and in his manhood he strove with God.
 4 He strove with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought his favor.
g He met God ▼
▼ Hebrew him
 at Bethel,
and there God spoke with us—
 5 the  Lord, the God of hosts,
i the  Lord is his memorial name:
 6 “So you, j by the help of your God, return,
k hold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”
 7  A merchant, in whose hands are l false balances,
he loves m to oppress.
 8 Ephraim has said, “Ah, but n I am rich;
I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors o they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
 9  p I am the  Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you q dwell in tents,
as in the days of the appointed feast.
 10  r I spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied s visions,
and through the prophets gave parables.
 11  t If there is iniquity in Gilead,
they shall surely come to nothing:
u in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
v their altars also are like stone heaps
w on the furrows of the field.
 12  x Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
there Israel y served for a wife,
and for a wife he guarded sheep.
 13 By z a prophet aa the  Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet he was guarded.
 14  ab Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
so his Lord ac will leave his bloodguilt on him
ad and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.
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