Hosea 12

Ephraim’s Sins Rebuked by God¹“Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt. ²“The Lord also brings a charge against Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his deeds He will recompense him. ³He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God. ⁴Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us— ⁵That is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is His memorable name. ⁶So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually. ⁷“A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand; He loves to oppress. ⁸And Ephraim said, ‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’ ⁹“But I am the Lord your God, Ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, As in the days of the appointed feast. ¹⁰I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.” ¹¹Though Gilead has idols— Surely they are vanity— Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field. ¹²Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep. ¹³By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved. ¹⁴Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him, And return his reproach upon him.