Hosea 12
1 [The leaders of] Israel are constantly wavering [about seeking help from other countries]. [Seeking their help is as useless as] [MET] chasing the wind. They pile up their lies and violent acts. [First, ] they make a treaty with Assyria, and [then they] send olive oil to [the rulers of] Egypt [to seek their help].
Ephraim herds the wind and hunts the sirocco. All day long they heap up falsehood and fraud, make a treaty with Assyria, and sends tribute of olive oil to Egypt.
2 Yahweh [says that he] will bring accusations against [the leaders of] Judah, and that he will punish [the descendants of] Jacob for what they have done.
The Lord has a charge to bring against Israel, to punish Jacob for his acts, according to his deeds will he requite him,
3 [When Jacob was] in his mother’s womb, he grabbed his brother [Esau’s] heel [because he wanted to be born first]. When Jacob grew up, he wrestled with God.
In the womb he supplanted his brother, in manhood he wrestled with God,
4 He struggled with [the one who had appeared to him in the form of] an angel, and Jacob defeated him, but [then] he cried and asked the angel to bless him. [Later], God came to Jacob at Bethel and talked with him there.
He wrestled with the angel and prevailed, he wept and sought his blessing. At Bethel the Lord found him, and there he spoke with us.
5 [That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
And the Lord is the God of hosts, the Lord is his name!
6 But you [people of Israel] must return to your God! You must faithfully love [him], and you must do what is fair/just and always depend on him.
So now, by the help of your God, return. Keep true love and justice. Trust in your God without ceasing.
7 The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
A merchant uses false scales: They love to defraud.
8 [The people of] Israel boast, saying “We are [very] rich [DOU]; and we got all that money by our own efforts, and without committing any sin.”
Ephraim says, ‘Yes, I have become rich, I have secured wealth for myself. But despite my gains no one will find a crime I can be convicted of!’
9 “I am Yahweh your God, [the one who brought your ancestors] out of Egypt. [And some day] I will force you to live in tents again [like your ancestors did] when [they celebrated] the Festival [of Living in Temporary Shelters].
I am the Lord your God, ever since the land of Egypt. I will make you again dwell in tents, as in days of old.
10 [Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
I spoke continually by the prophets. It was I who multiplied visions, and spoke in parables through the prophets.
11 [The people of] Gilead [city] are [RHQ] extremely wicked; they are worthless. The people sacrifice bulls in Gilgal [city], but their altars will [soon] become like [SIM] piles of stone [at the edge of] a plowed field.
In Gilead is iniquity, they will come to nothing. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, so their altars will be as stone heaps, among the furrows of the field.
12 [Your ancestor] Jacob fled [from his brother Esau] and went to northwest Mesopotamia. He worked [for his uncle Laban for many years] to get a wife; he took care of [his uncle’s] sheep [to pay] for her.
And Jacob fled to the territory of Aram, and Israel worked to earn a wife: for a wife he herded sheep.
13 [Many years later, ] Yahweh enabled a prophet to bring the [ancestors of you] people of Israel here from Egypt; that prophet, [Moses], took care of them.
The Lord brought Israel up from Egypt by a prophet, and by a prophet Israel was guarded.
14 [But now the people of] Israel have caused [Yahweh] to become very angry; Yahweh says that they deserve to die because they caused [many others] to die [MTY]; he will pay them back for the sins that they have committed against him and for insulting him.
Ephraim has given bitter provocation. His Lord will leave upon him his guilt of bloodshed, and for his contempt he will repay him.
