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.