Hosea 12:1-8 ▼

1 Ephraim chases the wind and pursues the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and violence. He makes a covenant with Assyria, and olive oil is carried to Egypt.

2 The LORD also has a dispute with Judah. He is about to punish Jacob according to his conduct; he will repay him based on his actions.

3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel, and as an adult he wrestled with God.

4 Jacob struggled with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him.

5 The LORD is the God of Armies; the LORD is his name.

6 But you must return to your God. Maintain love and justice, and always put your hope in God.

7 A merchant loves to extort with dishonest scales in his hands.

8 But Ephraim thinks, “How rich I have become; I made it all myself. In all my earnings, no one can find any iniquity in me that I can be punished for! ”