1[†]Ephraim feeds on wind

And pursues the east wind continually;

He abounds in falsehood and destruction.

Moreover, [†]he cuts a covenant with Assyria,

And oil is carried to Egypt.

Yahweh’s Contention with Judah

2And Yahweh has a contention with Judah

And will punish Jacob according to his ways;

He will cause everything to return to him according to his deeds.

3In the womb he took his brother by the heel,

And in his maturity he [†]wrestled with God.

4Indeed, he [†]wrestled with the angel and prevailed;

He wept and sought His favor.

He found Him at Bethel,

And there He spoke with us,

5Even Yahweh, the God of hosts,

Yahweh is His [†]name of remembrance.

6Therefore, return to your God,

Keep lovingkindness and justice,

And hope in your God continually.

7A [†]merchant, in whose hands are deceptive balances,

He loves to oppress.

8And Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich;

I have found wealth for myself;

In all my labors they will find in me

No iniquity, which would be sin.”

9But I have been Yahweh your God since the land of Egypt;

I will make you settle in tents again,

As in the days of the appointed festival.

10And I have spoken to the prophets,

And I [†]made visions abound,

And by the hand of the prophets I gave parables.

11Is there wickedness in Gilead?

Surely they are worthless.

In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;

Yes, their altars are like the stone heaps

Beside the furrows of the field.

12Now Jacob fled to the field of Aram,

And Israel worked for a wife,

And for a wife he kept sheep.

13But by a prophet Yahweh brought Israel up from Egypt,

And by a prophet he was kept.

14Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger;

So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him

And cause his reproach to return to him.