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Israel’s History

12 [a] Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,[b]
and the house of Israel with deceit;
and Judah is still wandering with God
    and is faithful to the Holy One.

12 Ephraim herds the wind[c]
    and is pursuing the east wind all day long;
he multiplies deception and violence
    and he[d] makes a treaty with Assyria,[e]
    and oil is brought to Egypt.
Yahweh has a quarrel[f] with Judah
    and will punish Jacob according to his ways
        and repay him according to his deeds.
In the womb he deceived his brother,
    and in his manhood he struggled with God.
He struggled with the angel and prevailed;
    he pleaded for his mercy.
He met him at Bethel,
    and there he spoke with him.[g]
Yahweh the God of hosts,
    Yahweh is his renowned name!
But you, you must return to your God;
    keep love and justice,
        and wait continually for your God.
The trader, in his hand are scales of deceit;[h]
    he loves to oppress.
And Ephraim said, “Surely, I am rich,
    I gained[i] wealth for myself;
in all my toil they have not found guilt in me
    that is sin.
But I am Yahweh your God
    since[j] the land of Egypt;
I will make you live in tents again,
    like the days of the appointed festival.
10 I spoke to the prophets;
    I myself multiplied revelations[k]
        and through the hand of the prophets I will destroy.
11 If in Gilead there is evil,
    surely they will come to nothing.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
    also their altars will be like stone heaps
    on furrows of the field.
12 Jacob fled to the open field of Aram,[l]
    and Israel served for a wife,
    and for a wife he watched over sheep.
13 And by a prophet Yahweh brought
    Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet
    he[m] was watched over.
14 Ephraim has caused bitter provocation,
    and his Lord will hold him responsible for his crimes[n]
    and pay back to him his insults.

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 11:12 Hosea 11:12–12:14 in the English Bible is 12:1–15 in the Hebrew Bible
  2. Hosea 11:12 Hebrew “lie”
  3. Hosea 12:1 Or “Ephraim befriends the wind”
  4. Hosea 12:1 Hebrew “they”
  5. Hosea 12:1 Literally “cuts a covenant with Assyria”
  6. Hosea 12:2 This word in Hebrew conveys a legal setting
  7. Hosea 12:4 Hebrew “us”
  8. Hosea 12:7 Or “false balances”
  9. Hosea 12:8 Or “I found”
  10. Hosea 12:9 Or “from”
  11. Hosea 12:10 Hebrew “revelation”
  12. Hosea 12:12 Or “the land of Aram”
  13. Hosea 12:13 Israel
  14. Hosea 12:14 Literally “will bring down on him his blood”

Israel’s Sin

12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,(A)
    Israel with deceit.
And Judah is unruly against God,
    even against the faithful(B) Holy One.[a](C)

12 [b]Ephraim(D) feeds on the wind;(E)
    he pursues the east wind all day
    and multiplies lies and violence.(F)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(G)
    and sends olive oil to Egypt.(H)
The Lord has a charge(I) to bring against Judah;(J)
    he will punish(K) Jacob[c] according to his ways
    and repay him according to his deeds.(L)
In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(M)
    as a man he struggled(N) with God.
He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
    he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(O)
    and talked with him there—
the Lord God Almighty,
    the Lord is his name!(P)
But you must return(Q) to your God;
    maintain love and justice,(R)
    and wait for your God always.(S)

The merchant uses dishonest scales(T)
    and loves to defraud.
Ephraim boasts,(U)
    “I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(V)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
    any iniquity or sin.”

“I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt;(W)
I will make you live in tents(X) again,
    as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
    gave them many visions
    and told parables(Y) through them.”(Z)

11 Is Gilead wicked?(AA)
    Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(AB)
    Their altars will be like piles of stones
    on a plowed field.(AC)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[d];(AD)
    Israel served to get a wife,
    and to pay for her he tended sheep.(AE)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(AF)
    by a prophet he cared for him.(AG)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
    his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(AH)
    and will repay him for his contempt.(AI)

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 11:12 In Hebrew texts this verse (11:12) is numbered 12:1.
  2. Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
  3. Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
  4. Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia