Aa
God’s Case against Jacob’s Heirs
1Ephraim chases12:1 Or grazes on, or tends the wind12:1 Jr 22:22; Hs 4:19
and pursues the east wind.12:1 Gn 41:6; Ezk 17:10
He continually multiplies lies and violence.
He makes a covenant with Assyria,12:1 Hs 5:13; 7:11; 8:9
and olive oil is carried to Egypt.12:1 2Kg 17:4

2The Lord also has a dispute with Judah.
He is about to punish Jacob according to his conduct;12:2 Hs 4:9; 7:2
he will repay him based on his actions.
3In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel,12:3 Gn 25:26; 27:36
and as an adult he wrestled with God.12:3 Gn 32:24–28
4Jacob struggled with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought his favor.12:4 Gn 32:26
He found him at Bethel,12:4 Gn 28:13–15; 35:10–15
and there he spoke with him.12:4 LXX, Syr; MT reads us12:4 Gn 28:10–22; 35:1–14
5The Lord is the God of Armies;
the Lord is his name.12:5 Ex 3:15
6But you must return to your God.12:6 Hs 6:1–3; 10:12
Maintain love and justice,12:6 Hs 6:6
and always put your hope in God.12:6 Mc 7:7

7A merchant loves to extort12:7 Hs 7:14
with dishonest scales in his hands.12:7 Pr 11:1; Am 8:5; Mc 6:11
8But Ephraim thinks,
“How rich I have become;12:8 Ps 62:10; Hs 13:6
I made it all myself.
In all my earnings,
no one can find any iniquity in me12:8 Hs 4:8; 14:1; Am 3:15; 6:4–6
that I can be punished for!” 12:8 Lit iniquity which is sin
Judgment on Apostate Israel
9I have been the Lord your God
ever since12:9 LXX reads God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.12:9 Hs 11:1; 13:3
I will make you live in tents again,12:9 Lv 23:42
as in the festival days.
10I will speak through the prophets12:10 Jr 7:25
and grant many visions;
I will give parables through the prophets.12:10 Ezk 17:2; 20:49
11Since Gilead is full of evil,12:11 Hs 6:8
they will certainly come to nothing.
They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal;12:11 Hs 4:15; 9:15
even their altars will be like piles of rocks12:11 Hs 8:11; 10:1–2
on the furrows of a field.
Further Indictment of Jacob’s Heirs
12Jacob fled to the territory of Aram.12:12 Gn 28:5
Israel worked to earn a wife;12:12 Gn 29:20
he tended flocks for a wife.12:12 Gn 29:1–20
13The Lord brought Israel from Egypt by a prophet,12:13 Ex 14:19–22; Is 63:11–14
and Israel was tended by a prophet.

14Ephraim has provoked bitter anger,12:14 2Kg 17:7–18
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him12:14 Ezk 18:10–13
and repay him for his contempt.12:14 Dn 11:18; Mc 6:16