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 pascit ventum, et sequitur æstum; tota die mendacium et vastitatem multiplicat: et fœdus cum Assyriis iniit, et oleum in Ægyptum ferebat.
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.
Judicium ergo Domini cum Juda, et visitatio super Jacob: juxta vias ejus, et juxta adinventiones ejus reddet ei.
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 utero supplantavit fratrem suum, et in fortitudine sua directus est cum angelo.
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.
Et invaluit ad angelum, et confortatus est; flevit, et rogavit eum. In Bethel invenit eum, et ibi locutus est nobiscum.
5 [That was] the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh [who talked with him]!
Et Dominus Deus exercituum, Dominus memoriale ejus.
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.
Et tu ad Deum tuum converteris; misericordiam et judicium custodi, et spera in Deo tuo semper.
7 The merchants [among you] use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.
Chanaan, in manu ejus statera dolosa, calumniam dilexit.
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.”
Et dixit Ephraim: Verumtamen dives effectus sum; inveni idolum mihi: omnes labores mei non invenient mihi iniquitatem quam peccavi.
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].
Et ego Dominus Deus tuus ex terra Ægypti: adhuc sedere te faciam in tabernaculis, sicut in diebus festivitatis.
10 [Many times] I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions, and I gave them parables to tell [to the people].”
Et locutus sum super prophetas, et ego visionem multiplicavi, et in manu prophetarum assimilatus sum.
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.
Si Galaad idolum, ergo frustra erant in Galgal bobus immolantes; nam et altaria eorum quasi acervi super sulcos agri.
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.
Fugit Jacob in regionem Syriæ, et servivit Israël in uxorem, et in uxorem servavit.
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.
In propheta autem eduxit Dominus Israël de Ægypto, et in propheta servatus est.
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.
Ad iracundiam me provocavit Ephraim in amaritudinibus suis: et sanguis ejus super eum veniet, et opprobrium ejus restituet ei Dominus suus.]
