GOD'S WORD Translation GW
New King James Version NKJV
1 The people of Ephraim try to catch the wind and try to chase the east wind all day. They are very violent and destructive. They make treaties with Assyria and take olive oil to Egypt.
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"Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt.
2 The LORD brings charges against Judah and punishes Jacob because of the way their people act. He will pay them back for what they have done.
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"The Lord also brings a charge against Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways; According to his deeds He will recompense him.
3 Their ancestor Jacob held on to his brother's heel while the two of them were in their mother's womb. When Jacob became a man, he struggled with God.
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He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God.
4 He struggled with the Messenger and won. Jacob cried and pleaded with him. Jacob found him at Bethel, and he talked with him there.
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Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us--
5 The LORD is the God of Armies. The LORD is the name by which he is remembered.
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That is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is His memorable name.
6 Return to your God. Be loyal and fair, and always wait with hope for your God.
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So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually.
7 [The LORD says,] "The merchants use dishonest scales. They love to cheat people.
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"A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand; He loves to oppress.
8 The people of Ephraim say, 'We're rich. We've made a fortune. With all this wealth, no one will find us guilty of any sin.'
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And Ephraim said, 'Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; In all my labors They shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.'
9 I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of Egypt. I will make you live in tents again as you did during your appointed festivals.
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"But I am the Lord your God, Ever since the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents, As in the days of the appointed feast.
10 I spoke to the prophets and gave them many visions. I taught lessons through the prophets."
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I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets."
11 The people of Gilead are evil. They are worthless. They sacrifice bulls in Gilgal. But their altars will become like piles of rubble beside a plowed field.
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Though Gilead has idols-- Surely they are vanity-- Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field.
12 Jacob fled to the country of Syria. Israel worked to get a wife; he took care of sheep to pay for her.
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Jacob fled to the country of Syria; Israel served for a spouse, And for a wife he tended sheep.
13 The LORD used a prophet to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. He used a prophet to take care of them.
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By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, And by a prophet he was preserved.
14 The people of Ephraim made the LORD bitter. He will hold them guilty of murder. The Lord will pay them back for their insults.
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Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; Therefore his Lord will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him, And return his reproach upon him.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.