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 Ephraim feeds on the wind
and pursues the east wind all day long;
they multiply falsehood and violence;
they make a covenant with Assyria,
and oil is carried to Egypt.

The Lord's Indictment of Israel and Judah

² The Lord has an indictment against Judah
and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
he will repay him according to his deeds.
³ In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
and in his manhood he strove with God.
⁴ He strove with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought his favor.
He met God^[a] at Bethel,
and there God spoke with us—
⁵ the Lord, the God of hosts,
the Lord is his memorial name:
⁶ “So you, by the help of your God, return,
hold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”

⁷ A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,
he loves to oppress.
⁸ Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich;
I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
⁹ I am the Lord your God
from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you dwell in tents,
as in the days of the appointed feast.

¹⁰ I spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied visions,
and through the prophets gave parables.
¹¹ If there is iniquity in Gilead,
they shall surely come to nothing:
in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
their altars also are like stone heaps
on the furrows of the field.
¹² Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
there Israel served for a wife,
and for a wife he guarded sheep.
¹³ By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet he was guarded.
¹⁴ Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.

Footnotes:

1. Hosea 12:4 Hebrew him

Cross references:

1. Hosea 12:1 : [ch. 13:15; Jer. 18:17]
2. Hosea 12:1 : [See ch. 11:12 above]; [ch. 7:13]
3. Hosea 12:1 : See ch. 5:13
4. Hosea 12:1 : [ch. 7:11; 2 Kgs. 17:4]
5. Hosea 12:2 : See ch. 4:1
6. Hosea 12:3 : Gen. 25:26; [Gen. 27:36]
7. Hosea 12:4 : Gen. 28:12, 19; 35:9, 10, 15
8. Hosea 12:5 : Ex. 3:15
9. Hosea 12:6 : ch. 14:1, 2; Joel 2:12, 13
10. Hosea 12:6 : [Mic. 6:8]
11. Hosea 12:7 : Amos 8:5; Mic. 6:11; [Prov. 11:1; 20:23]
12. Hosea 12:7 : Mic. 2:2
13. Hosea 12:8 : Zech. 11:5; Rev. 3:17
14. Hosea 12:8 : [Deut. 29:19]
15. Hosea 12:9 : ch. 13:4
16. Hosea 12:9 : See Lev. 23:39-43; Neh. 8:14-18
17. Hosea 12:10 : [2 Kgs. 17:13]
18. Hosea 12:10 : [Joel 2:28]
19. Hosea 12:11 : ch. 6:8
20. Hosea 12:11 : ch. 4:15; 9:15
21. Hosea 12:11 : ch. 8:11
22. Hosea 12:11 : ch. 10:4
23. Hosea 12:12 : Gen. 28:5
24. Hosea 12:12 : Gen. 29:20, 28
25. Hosea 12:13 : [Deut. 18:15]
26. Hosea 12:13 : Ex. 12:50, 51; Ps. 77:20; See Isa. 63:11-14
27. Hosea 12:14 : 2 Kgs. 17:17
28. Hosea 12:14 : See ch. 4:2
29. Hosea 12:14 : ver. 2