Hosea 12
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 735 BC – 722 BC · Divided kingdom · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
14 verses · 294 words · ~1 min read · ~2 min listen
A Reproof of Ephraim, Judah, and Jacob
1Ephraim feeds on the wind
and pursues the east wind all day long;
he multiplies lies and violence;
he makes a covenant with Assyria
and sends olive oil to Egypt.
2The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah.
He will punish Jacob according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.
3In the womb he grasped his brotherʼs heel,
and in his vigor he wrestled with God.
4Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought His favor;
he found Him at Bethel
and spoke with Him there—
5the Lord God of Hosts,
the Lord is His name of renown.
6But you must return to your God;
maintaining love and justice,
and always waiting on your God.
7A merchant loves to defraud
with dishonest scales in his hands.
8And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become!
I have found wealth for myself.
In all my labors, they can find in me
no iniquity that is sinful.”
9But I am the Lord your God
ever since the land of Egypt.
I will again make you dwell in tents,
as in the days of the appointed feast.
10I spoke through the prophets
and multiplied their visions;
I gave parables through the prophets.
11Is there iniquity in Gilead?
They will surely come to nothing.
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?
Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones
in the furrows of the field.
12Jacob fled to the land of Aram
and Israel worked for a wife—
for a wife he tended sheep.
and by a prophet he was preserved.
14Ephraim has provoked bitter anger,
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him
and repay him for his contempt.
Footnotes (5)
- a v1 That is, the northern kingdom of Israel; also in verses 8 and 14
- b v2 Jacob means he grasps the heel or he deceives.
- c v4 Or Angel
- d v4 LXX and Syriac; MT and there He spoke with us
- e v12 That is, northwest Mesopotamia