1 12:1Ch12:2in Heb Ephraim feeds on windAnd pursues the east wind continually;He abounds in falsehood and destruction.Moreover, 12:1Lit they cut he cuts a covenant with Assyria,And oil is carried to Egypt.Yahweh’s Contention with Judah
2 And Yahweh has a contention with JudahAnd will punish Jacob according to his ways;He will causeeverythingto return to him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel,And in his maturity he 12:3Or strove, cf. Gen 32:28 wrestled with God.
4 Indeed, he 12:4Or strove, cf. Gen 32:28 wrestled with the angel and prevailed;He wept and sought His favor.He found Him at Bethel,And there He spoke with us,
5 Even Yahweh, the God of hosts,Yahweh is His 12:5Lit memorial nameof remembrance.
6 Therefore, return to your God,Keep lovingkindness and justice,And hope in your God continually.
7 A 12:7 Or Canaanite merchant, in whose hands are deceptive balances,He loves to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich;I have found wealth for myself;In all my labors they will find in meNo iniquity, whichwould besin.”
9 But Ihave beenYahweh your God since the land of Egypt;I will make you settle in tents again,As in the days of the appointed festival.
10 And I have spoken to the prophets,And I 12:10Lit multiplied the vision made visions abound,And by the hand of the prophets I gave parables.
11 Is there wickednessinGilead?Surely they are worthless.In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;Yes, their altars are like the stone heapsBeside the furrows of the field.
12 ¶Now Jacob fled to the field of Aram,And Israel worked for a wife,And for a wife he keptsheep.
13 But by a prophet Yahweh brought Israel up from Egypt,And by a prophet he was kept.
14 Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger;So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on himAnd cause his reproach to return to him.