12:1 Ephraim continually feeds on the wind; he chases the east wind all day; he multiplies lies and violence. They make treaties with Assyria, and send olive oil as tribute to Egypt.
12:2 The LORD also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.
12:3 In the womb he attacked his brother; in his manly vigor he struggled with God.
12:4 He struggled with an angel and prevailed; he wept and begged for his favor. He found God at Bethel, and there he spoke with him!
12:5 As for the LORD God Almighty, the LORD is the name by which he is remembered!
12:6 But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice, and by waiting for your God to return to you.
12:7 The businessmen love to cheat; they use dishonest scales.
12:8 Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich! I have become wealthy! In all that I have done to gain my wealth, no one can accuse me of any offense that is actually sinful."
12:9 "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again as in the days of old.
12:10 I spoke to the prophets; I myself revealed many visions; I spoke in parables through the prophets."
12:11 Is there idolatry in Gilead? Certainly its inhabitants will come to nothing! Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal? Surely their altars will be like stones heaped up on a plowed field!
12:12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram, then Israel worked to acquire a wife; he tended sheep to pay for her.
12:13 The LORD brought Israel out of Egypt by a prophet, and due to a prophet Israel was preserved alive.
12:14 But Ephraim bitterly provoked him to anger; so he will hold him accountable for the blood he has shed, his Lord will repay him for the contempt he has shown.
Your support helps pay our hosting costs, and
- with a little bit extra -
lets us pay transcribers and proofreaders.
If you can help, Click here to become a Patreon:
www.patreon.com/IslamAwakened Thank you!