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12 All day long Israel chases
    wind from the desert;
deceit and violence
    are found everywhere.
Treaties are made with Assyria;
    olive oil is taken to Egypt.

Israel and Judah Condemned

The Lord also brings charges
against the people of Judah,
    the descendants of Jacob.
He will punish them
    for what they have done.
(A)(B) Even before Jacob was born,
    he cheated his brother,[a]
and when he grew up,
    he fought against God.[b]

(C) At Bethel, Jacob wrestled
    with an angel and won;
then with tears in his eyes,
he asked for a blessing,
    and God spoke to us[c] there.
God's name is the Lord,
    the Lord God All-Powerful.
So return to your God.
Patiently trust him,
    and show love and justice.

Israel, you enjoy cheating
and taking advantage
    of others.
You say to yourself, “I'm rich!
I earned it all on my own,
    without committing a sin.”[d]

The Lord Is Still the God of Israel

(D) Israel, I, the Lord,
am still your God,
    just as I have been
since the time
    you were in Egypt.
Now I will force you
to live in tents once again,
    as you did in the desert.[e]
10 I spoke to the prophets—
    often I spoke in visions.
And so, I will send my prophets
    with messages of doom.
11 Gilead is terribly sinful
    and will end up ruined.
Bulls are sacrificed in Gilgal
    on altars made of stones,
but those stones will be scattered
    in every field.
12 (E) Jacob[f] escaped to Syria[g]
where he tended sheep
    to earn himself a wife.
13 (F) I sent the prophet Moses
to lead Israel from Egypt
    and to keep them safe.
14 Israel, I will make you pay
for your violent crimes
    and for insulting me.

Footnotes

  1. 12.3 Jacob … cheated … brother: In Hebrew “Jacob” sounds like “cheat” and also like “heel.” Jacob grabbed his twin brother Esau by the heel at the time of their birth (see Genesis 25.26). Later he cheated him out of his rights and blessings as the first-born son (see Genesis 25.29-34; 27.1-40).
  2. 12.3 fought against God: See Genesis 32.22-32.
  3. 12.4 us: Hebrew; two ancient translations “him.”
  4. 12.8 without … sin: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  5. 12.9 as … desert: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. This probably refers to the 40 years of wandering through the desert after leaving Egypt, though it could refer to the “tents” (or “shelters”) in which the Israelites lived during the Festival of Shelters (see 9.5,6).
  6. 12.12 Jacob: His name was later changed to Israel (see Genesis 32.28), and he became the ancestor of the nation by that name.
  7. 12.12 Syria: The Hebrew text has “Aram,” probably referring to northern Syria in the region of Haran.

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

The merchant uses dishonest scales(Q)
    and loves to defraud.
Ephraim boasts,(R)
    “I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(S)
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;(T)
I will make you live in tents(U) again,
    as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
    gave them many visions
    and told parables(V) through them.”(W)

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

Footnotes

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