• 1 “Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt.
  • 2 “The Lord also brings a charge against Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his deeds He will recompense him.
  • 3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God.
  • 4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us—
  • 5 That is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is His memorable name.
  • 6 So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually.
  • 7 “A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand; He loves to oppress.
  • 8 And Ephraim said, ‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’
  • 9 “But 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.
  • 10 I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.”
  • 11 Though Gilead has idols— Surely they are vanity— Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.
  • 12 Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep.
  • 13 By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved.
  • 14 Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him, And return his reproach upon him.