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Hosea 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Hosea 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 12
Infidelity of Israel[a]
1 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
the house of Israel, with deceit;
Judah still wanders about with gods,
and is faithful to holy ones.[b]
2 [c]Ephraim shepherds the wind,
and pursues the east wind all day long.
He multiplies lies and violence:
They make a covenant with Assyria,
and oil is carried to Egypt.
3 The Lord has a dispute with Judah,
and will punish Jacob[d] for his conduct,
and repay him for his deeds.
4 In the womb he supplanted his brother,(A)
and in his vigor he contended with a divine being;
5 He contended with an angel and prevailed,(B)
he wept and entreated him.
At Bethel he met with him,
and there he spoke with him.(C)
6 The Lord is the God of hosts,
the Lord is his name!(D)
7 You must return to your God.
Maintain loyalty and justice
and always hope in your God.
8 A merchant who holds a false balance,
he loves to extort!
9 Ephraim has said,
“How rich I have become;
I have made a fortune!”(E)
All his gain will not suffice
for the guilt of his sin.
10 I the Lord have been your God,
since the land of Egypt;(F)
I will again have you live in tents,
as on feast days.
11 I spoke to the prophets,
I granted many visions,(G)
and through the prophets I told parables.
12 In Gilead is falsehood, they have come to nothing;
in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
But their altars are like heaps of stones(H)
in the furrows of the field.
13 Jacob fled to the land of Aram,
and Israel served for a wife;
for a wife he tended sheep.(I)
14 But by a prophet[e] the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
and by a prophet Israel was tended.(J)
15 Ephraim has aroused bitter anger,
so his Lord shall cast his bloodguilt upon him
and repay him for his scorn.
Footnotes
- 12:1–15 This chapter draws a parallel between the history of Israel and events in the life of Jacob-Israel, the ancestor.
- 12:1 An attack on the idolatry of both kingdoms, Israel and Judah. Holy ones: subordinate gods, members of the divine council.
- 12:2 Hosea frequently condemns the alliances with Assyria and Egypt, the two world powers (7:8–16).
- 12:3 Jacob: whose name was changed to Israel (Gn 35:10).
- 12:14 A prophet: Moses.
Hosea 12
Schlachter 2000
Hosea 12
Schlachter 2000
Israel hat sich in Lügen und Selbstbetrug verstrickt
12 Ephraim hat mich mit Lügen umgeben und das Haus Israel mit Betrug; auch Juda schweift immer noch umher neben Gott, dem Heiligen, der treu ist.
2 Ephraim nährt sich von Wind und läuft den ganzen Tag dem Ostwind nach; er wird täglich verlogener und gewalttätiger; ein Bündnis mit Assyrien wollen sie schließen, und Öl wird nach Ägypten gebracht.
3 Auch mit Juda hat der Herr einen Rechtsstreit, und er muss Jakob strafen entsprechend seinen Wegen, er wird ihm vergelten entsprechend seinen Taten.
4 Schon im Mutterschoß hielt er die Ferse seines Bruders, und in seiner Manneskraft kämpfte er mit Gott;
5 er kämpfte mit dem Engel und siegte, er weinte und flehte zu ihm; in Bethel hat er ihn gefunden, und dort hat Er mit uns geredet —
6 nämlich der Herr, der Gott der Heerscharen, dessen Gedenkname Herr ist.
7 So kehre nun um zu deinem Gott, halte fest an Liebe[a] und Recht und hoffe stets auf deinen Gott!
8 Der Kanaaniter[b] hat eine falsche Waage in der Hand, er übervorteilt gern.
9 Auch Ephraim spricht: »Ich bin doch reich geworden, ich habe mir ein Vermögen erworben; an all meinem Erwerb wird man mir kein Unrecht nachweisen können, das Sünde wäre!«
10 Ich aber, der Herr, bin dein Gott vom Land Ägypten her, ich werde dich wieder in Zelten wohnen lassen wie zur Zeit des [Laubhütten-]Festes.
11 Ich habe zu den Propheten geredet und viele Offenbarungen[c] gegeben und durch die Propheten in Gleichnissen gelehrt.
12 Sind sie in Gilead nichtswürdig gewesen, so sollen sie zunichtewerden; haben sie in Gilgal Stiere geopfert, so sollen auch ihre Altäre wie Steinhaufen auf den Furchen des Ackers werden!
13 Als Jakob in das Gebiet von Aram floh, da diente Israel um eine Frau; um eine Frau hütete er [die Herde].
14 So hat der Herr durch einen Propheten Israel aus Ägypten heraufgeführt und es durch einen Propheten hüten lassen.
15 Ephraim hat ihn bitter gekränkt; Er wird seine Blutschuld auf ihn werfen, und sein Herr wird ihm seine Beschimpfung vergelten.
Hosea 12
New International Version
Hosea 12
New International Version
12 [a]1 Ephraim(A) feeds on the wind;(B)
he pursues the east wind all day
and multiplies lies and violence.(C)
He makes a treaty with Assyria(D)
and sends olive oil to Egypt.(E)
2 The Lord has a charge(F) to bring against Judah;(G)
he will punish(H) Jacob[b] according to his ways
and repay him according to his deeds.(I)
3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel;(J)
as a man he struggled(K) with God.
4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him;
he wept and begged for his favor.
He found him at Bethel(L)
and talked with him there—
5 the Lord God Almighty,
the Lord is his name!(M)
6 But you must return(N) to your God;
maintain love and justice,(O)
and wait for your God always.(P)
7 The merchant uses dishonest scales(Q)
and loves to defraud.
8 Ephraim boasts,(R)
“I am very rich; I have become wealthy.(S)
With all my wealth they will not find in me
any iniquity or sin.”
9 “I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt;(T)
I will make you live in tents(U) again,
as in the days of your appointed festivals.
10 I spoke to the prophets,
gave them many visions
and told parables(V) through them.”(W)
11 Is Gilead wicked?(X)
Its people are worthless!
Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?(Y)
Their altars will be like piles of stones
on a plowed field.(Z)
12 Jacob fled to the country of Aram[c];(AA)
Israel served to get a wife,
and to pay for her he tended sheep.(AB)
13 The Lord used a prophet to bring Israel up from Egypt,(AC)
by a prophet he cared for him.(AD)
14 But Ephraim has aroused his bitter anger;
his Lord will leave on him the guilt of his bloodshed(AE)
and will repay him for his contempt.(AF)
Footnotes
- Hosea 12:1 In Hebrew texts 12:1-14 is numbered 12:2-15.
- Hosea 12:2 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.
- Hosea 12:12 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
Hosea 12
King James Version
Hosea 12
King James Version
12 Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt.
2 The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.
3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:
4 Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;
5 Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial.
6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually.
7 He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
8 And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.
9 And I that am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.
10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
11 Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields.
12 And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep.
13 And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Schlachter 2000 (SCH2000)
Copyright © 2000 by Geneva Bible Society
New International Version (NIV) 
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