Hosea 12 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

Hos 12:1

Hos 12:1Ephraim 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.

The Lord’s Indictment of Israel and Judah

Hos 12:2

Hos 12:2The LORD has an indictment against Judah
and will punish Jacob according to his ways;
he will repay him according to his deeds.

Hos 12:3

Hos 12:3In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
and in his manhood he strove with God.

Hos 12:4

Hos 12:4He strove with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and sought his favor.
He met God[fn] at Bethel,
and there God spoke with us—

Hos 12:5

Hos 12:5the LORD, the God of hosts,
the LORD is his memorial name:

Hos 12:6

Hos 12:6“So you, by the help of your God, return,
hold fast to love and justice,
and wait continually for your God.”

Hos 12:7

Hos 12:7A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,
he loves to oppress.

Hos 12:8

Hos 12:8Ephraim 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.”

Hos 12:9

Hos 12:9I 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.

Hos 12:10

Hos 12:10I spoke to the prophets;
it was I who multiplied visions,
and through the prophets gave parables.

Hos 12:11

Hos 12:11If 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.

Hos 12:12

Hos 12:12Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
there Israel served for a wife,
and for a wife he guarded sheep.

Hos 12:13

Hos 12:13By a prophet the LORD brought Israel up from Egypt,
and by a prophet he was guarded.

Hos 12:14

Hos 12:14Ephraim has given bitter provocation;
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him
and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds.

See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

ESV Footnotes

(12:4)

Hebrew him

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

See detailed copyright information.

For more information on this translation, see the ESV Preface.