| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
| 1Ephraim feeds on wind, And pursues the east wind continually; He multiplies lies and violence. Moreover, he makes a covenant with Assyria, And oil is carried to Egypt. | 1 The people of Israel feed on the wind; they chase after the east wind all day long. They pile up lies and violence; they are making an alliance with Assyria while sending olive oil to buy support from Egypt. |
| 2The LORD also has a dispute with Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; He will repay him according to his deeds. | 2Now the LORD is bringing charges against Judah. He is about to punish Jacob for all his deceitful ways, and pay him back for all he has done. |
| 3In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God. | 3Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God. |
| 4Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor. He found Him at Bethel And there He spoke with us, | 4Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. There at Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him — |
| 5Even the LORD, the God of hosts, The LORD is His name. | 5the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the LORD is his name! |
| 6Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually. | 6So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him. |
| 7A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, He loves to oppress. | 7But no, the people are like crafty merchants selling from dishonest scales— they love to cheat. |
| 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." | 8Israel boasts, “I am rich! I’ve made a fortune all by myself! No one has caught me cheating! My record is spotless!” |
| 9But I have been the LORD your God since the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, As in the days of the appointed festival. | 9“But I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. And I will make you live in tents again, as you do each year at the Festival of Shelters. |
| 10I have also spoken to the prophets, And I gave numerous visions, And through the prophets I gave parables. | 10I sent my prophets to warn you with many visions and parables.” |
| 11Is there iniquity 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. | 11But the people of Gilead are worthless because of their idol worship. And in Gilgal, too, they sacrifice bulls; their altars are lined up like the heaps of stone along the edges of a plowed field. |
| 12Now Jacob fled to the land of Aram, And Israel worked for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep. | 12Jacob fled to the land of Aram, and there he earned a wife by tending sheep. |
| 13But by a prophet the LORD brought Israel from Egypt, And by a prophet he was kept. | 13Then by a prophet the LORD brought Jacob’s descendants out of Egypt; and by that prophet they were protected. |
| 14Ephraim has provoked to bitter anger; So his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him And bring back his reproach to him. | 14But the people of Israel have bitterly provoked the LORD, so their Lord will now sentence them to death in payment for their sins. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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