• Ephraim Reminded

  • 1 Ephraim feeds on wind, And pursues the east wind continually; He multiplies lies and violence. Moreover, he makes a covenant with Assyria, And oil is brought to Egypt.
  • 2 The Lord also has a case 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 mature strength he contended with God.
  • 4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and implored His favor. He found Him at Bethel, And there He spoke with us,
  • 5 And the Lord, the God of armies, The Lord is His name.
  • 6 So as for you, return to your God, Maintain kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.
  • 7 A merchant, in whose hands are fraudulent balances, Loves to exploit.
  • 8 And Ephraim said, “I have certainly become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors they will find in me No wrongdoing, which would be sin.”
  • 9 But I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, As in the days of the appointed festival.
  • 10 I have also spoken to the prophets, And I provided many visions, And through the prophets I spoke in parables.
  • 11 Is there injustice in Gilead? Certainly they are worthless. In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls, Yes, their altars are like stone heaps Beside the furrows of a field.
  • 12 Now Jacob fled to the land of Aram, And Israel worked for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep.
  • 13 But by a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt, And by a prophet he was protected.
  • 14 Ephraim has provoked God to bitter anger; So his Lord will leave his guilt for bloodshed on him And bring his disgrace back to him.