1 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,the house of Israel, with deceit;Judah still wanders about with gods,and is faithful to holy ones.
2 Ephraim shepherds the wind,and pursues the east wind all day long.He multiplies lies and violence:They make a covenant with Assyria,and oil is carried to Egypt.
3 The Lord has a dispute with Judah,and will punish Jacob for his conduct,and repay him for his deeds.
4 In the womb he supplanted his brother,and in his vigor he contended with a divine being;
5 He contended with an angel and prevailed,he wept and entreated him.At Bethel he met with him,and there he spoke with him.
6 The Lord is the God of hosts,the Lord is his name!
7 You must return to your God.Maintain loyalty and justiceand always hope in your God.
8 A merchant who holds a false balance,he loves to extort!
9 Ephraim has said,“How rich I have become;I have made a fortune!”All his gain will not sufficefor the guilt of his sin.
10 I the Lord have been your God,since the land of Egypt;I will again have you live in tents,as on feast days.
11 I spoke to the prophets,I granted many visions,and through the prophets I told parables.
12 In Gilead is falsehood, they have come to nothing;in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,But their altars are like heaps of stonesin the furrows of the field.
13 Jacob fled to the land of Aram,and Israel served for a wife;for a wife he tended sheep.
14 But by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,and by a prophet Israel was tended.
15 Ephraim has aroused bitter anger,so his Lord shall cast his bloodguilt upon himand repay him for his scorn.