| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make 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 has an indictment against 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 manhood he strove with God. | 3Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God. |
| 4He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God 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 — |
| 5the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is his memorial name: | 5the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the LORD is his name! |
| 6“So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” | 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. |
| 8Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.” | 8Israel boasts, “I am rich! I’ve made a fortune all by myself! No one has caught me cheating! My record is spotless!” |
| 9I am the LORD your God from 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 spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables. | 10I sent my prophets to warn you with many visions and parables.” |
| 11If there is iniquity in Gilead, they shall surely come to nothing: in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars also are like stone heaps on 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 land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep. | 12Jacob fled to the land of Aram, and there he earned a wife by tending sheep. |
| 13By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded. | 13Then by a prophet the LORD brought Jacob’s descendants out of Egypt; and by that prophet they were protected. |
| 14Ephraim has given bitter provocation; so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds. | 14But the people of Israel have bitterly provoked the LORD, so their Lord will now sentence them to death in payment for their sins. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. 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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