Hosea 12

¹All day long Israel chases

wind from the desert;

deceit and violence

are found everywhere.

Treaties are made with Assyria;

olive oil is taken to Egypt.

Israel and Judah Condemned

²The Lord also brings charges

against the people of Judah,

the descendants of Jacob.

He will punish them

for what they have done.

³Even before Jacob was born,[#Gn 25.26.; #Gn 32.24-26.]

he cheated his brother,

and when he grew up,

he fought against God.

⁴At Bethel, Jacob wrestled[#Gn 28.10-22.]

with an angel and won;

then with tears in his eyes,

he asked for a blessing,

and God spoke to us there.

⁵God's name is the Lord ,

the Lord God All-Powerful.

⁶So return to your God.

Patiently trust him,

and show love and justice.

⁷Israel, you enjoy cheating

and taking advantage

of others.

⁸You say to yourself, “I'm rich!

I earned it all on my own,

without committing a sin.”

The Lord Is Still the God of Israel

⁹Israel, I, the Lord ,[#Lv 23.42,43.]

am still your God,

just as I have been

since the time

you were in Egypt.

Now I will force you

to live in tents once again,

as you did in the desert.

¹⁰I spoke to the prophets—

often I spoke in visions.

And so, I will send my prophets

with messages of doom.

¹¹Gilead is terribly sinful

and will end up ruined.

Bulls are sacrificed in Gilgal

on altars made of stones,

but those stones will be scattered

in every field.

¹²Jacob escaped to Syria[#Gn 29.1-20.; #12.12 His name was later changed to Israel (see Genesis 32.28), and he became the ancestor of the nation by that name.; #12.12 The Hebrew text has “Aram,” probably referring to northern Syria in the region of Haran.]

where he tended sheep

to earn himself a wife.

¹³I sent the prophet Moses[#Ex 12.50,51.]

to lead Israel from Egypt

and to keep them safe.

¹⁴Israel, I will make you pay

for your violent crimes

and for insulting me.