| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1“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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 3He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God. | 3Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God. |
| 4Yes, 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— | 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 — |
| 5That is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name. | 5the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the LORD is his name! |
| 6So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually. | 6So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him. |
| 7“A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand; 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 shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.’ | 8Israel boasts, “I am rich! I’ve made a fortune all by myself! No one has caught me cheating! My record is spotless!” |
| 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. | 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 by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.” | 10I sent my prophets to warn you with many visions and parables.” |
| 11Though 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. | 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. |
| 12Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep. | 12Jacob fled to the land of Aram, and there he earned a wife by tending sheep. |
| 13By a prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved. | 13Then by a prophet the LORD brought Jacob’s descendants out of Egypt; and by that prophet they were protected. |
| 14Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him, And return his reproach upon 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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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