Hosea 12

¹Ephraim herds the wind[#Or “Ephraim befriends the wind”]

he multiplies deception and violence

²Yahweh has a quarrel with Judah[#This word in Hebrew conveys a legal setting]

³In the womb he deceived his brother,

⁴He struggled with the angel and prevailed;

He met him at Bethel,

⁵Yahweh the God of hosts,

⁶But you, you must return to your God;

⁷The trader, in his hand are scales of deceit;[#Or “false balances”]

⁸And Ephraim said, “Surely, I am rich,

in all my toil they have not found guilt in me

⁹But I am Yahweh your God

I will make you live in tents again,

¹⁰I spoke to the prophets;

¹¹If in Gilead there is evil,

In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,

¹²Jacob fled to the open field of Aram,[#Or “the land of Aram”]

¹³And by a prophet Yahweh brought

and by a prophet

¹⁴Ephraim has caused bitter provocation,