12 “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.^[a]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 laborsThey 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.