1 סְבָבֻנִי בְכַחַשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וּבְמִרְמָה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה עֹד רָד עִם־אֵל וְעִם־קְדֹושִׁים נֶאֱמָן | 1 Ephraim besieges me with lying, the House of Israel with duplicity. (But Judah stil is on God's side, heis faithful to the Holy One.) |
2 אֶפְרַיִם רֹעֶה רוּחַ וְרֹדֵף קָדִים כָּל־הַיֹּום כָּזָב וָשֹׁד יַרְבֶּה וּבְרִית עִם־אַשּׁוּר יִכְרֹתוּ וְשֶׁמֶן לְמִצְרַיִם יוּבָל | 2 Ephraim feeds himself on wind, all day he chases the wind from the East, he heaps up cheating andviolence; they make a treaty with Assyria, at the same time sending oil to Egypt. |
3 וְרִיב לַיהוָה עִם־יְהוּדָה וְלִפְקֹד עַל־יַעֲקֹב כִּדְרָכָיו כְּמַעֲלָלָיו יָשִׁיב לֹו | 3 Yahweh has a case against Judah, he will punish Jacob as his conduct merits, he will repay him as hisdeeds deserve. |
4 בַּבֶּטֶן עָקַב אֶת־אָחִיו וּבְאֹונֹו שָׂרָה אֶת־אֱלֹהִים | 4 In the very womb he overreached his brother, in maturity he wrestled against God. |
5 וָיָּשַׂר אֶל־מַלְאָךְ וַיֻּכָל בָּכָה וַיִּתְחַנֶּן־לֹו בֵּית־אֵל יִמְצָאֶנּוּ וְשָׁם יְדַבֵּר עִמָּנוּ | 5 He wrestled with the angel and beat him, he wept and pleaded with him. He met him at Bethel andthere God spoke to us- |
6 וַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי הַצְּבָאֹות יְהוָה זִכְרֹו | 6 yes, Yahweh, God Sabaoth, Yahweh is his title! |
7 וְאַתָּה בֵּאלֹהֶיךָ תָשׁוּב חֶסֶד וּמִשְׁפָּט שְׁמֹר וְקַוֵּה אֶל־אֱלֹהֶיךָ תָּמִיד | 7 So turn back with God's help, maintain faithful love and loyalty and always put your trust in your God. |
8 כְּנַעַן בְּיָדֹו מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה לַעֲשֹׁק אָהֵב | 8 Merchants use fraudulent scales. To defraud is his delight. |
9 וַיֹּאמֶר אֶפְרַיִם אַךְ עָשַׁרְתִּי מָצָאתִי אֹון לִי כָּל־יְגִיעַי לֹא יִמְצְאוּ־לִי עָוֹן אֲשֶׁר־חֵטְא | 9 'How rich I have become!' says Ephraim, 'I have made a fortune.' But of al his gains he wil keepnothing because of the sin of which he is guilty. |
10 וְאָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עֹד אֹושִׁיבְךָ בָאֳהָלִים כִּימֵי מֹועֵד | 10 But I have been Yahweh your God since your days in Egypt and will make you live in tents again asin the days of Meeting. |
11 וְדִבַּרְתִּי עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים וְאָנֹכִי חָזֹון הִרְבֵּיתִי וּבְיַד הַנְּבִיאִים אֲדַמֶּה | 11 I will speak through prophets, I will give vision after vision and through the ministry of prophets wilspeak in parables. |
12 אִם־גִּלְעָד אָוֶן אַךְ־שָׁוְא הָיוּ בַּגִּלְגָּל שְׁוָרִים זִבֵּחוּ גַּם מִזְבְּחֹותָם כְּגַלִּים עַל תַּלְמֵי שָׂדָי | 12 Is Gilead a sink of iniquity? Yes, they are a worthless lot! At Gilgal they sacrifice to bulls, that is whytheir altars are like heaps of stones in a ploughed field. |
13 וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב שְׂדֵה אֲרָם וַיַּעֲבֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאִשָּׁה וּבְאִשָּׁה שָׁמָר | 13 Jacob fled to the countryside of Aram, Israel slaved to win a wife, to win a wife he looked after sheep. |
14 וּבְנָבִיא הֶעֱלָה יְהוָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם וּבְנָבִיא נִשְׁמָר | 14 By a prophet Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt and by a prophet Israel was preserved. |
15 הִכְעִיס אֶפְרַיִם תַּמְרוּרִים וְדָמָיו עָלָיו יִטֹּושׁ וְחֶרְפָּתֹו יָשִׁיב לֹו אֲדֹנָיו | 15 Ephraim gave bitter provocation- Yahweh will bring his bloodshed down on him, his Lord wil repayhim for his insult. |