סְבָבֻנִי בְכַחַשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וּבְמִרְמָה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל ויהוּדָה עֹד רָד עִם־אֵל וְעִם־קְדוֹשִׁים נֶאֱמָן

The prophet resumes his reproof of the people: Ephraim, the tribes of the Kingdom of Israel, surrounded Me with falsehood, and the house of Israel surrounded Me with deceit. The prophet adds, parenthetically: But Judah still ruled his kingdom with God and His commandments in mind, and he is faithful with the holy ones.

אֶפְרַיִם רֹעֶה רוּחַ וְרֹדֵף קָדִים כָּל־הַיּוֹם כָּזָב וָשֹׁד יַרְבֶּה וּבְרִית עִם־אַשּׁוּר יִכְרֹתוּ ושֶׁמֶן לְמִצְרַיִם יוּבָל

Ephraim shepherds wind, is engaged in vanities, dreams, and illusions, and he pursues the stormy east wind without catching anything. He lives a life without purpose or hope. All day he propagates lies and robbery, and they, the people of Israel, will establish a covenant with Assyria, and at the same time precious oil or perfume will be brought by the representatives of Ephraim as a diplomatic gesture of friendship to Egypt. The prophet is criticizing the messages of goodwill that the Kingdom of Israel sends to two powers that are hostile to each other. The duplicity is deceptive and unworthy.

וְרִיב לַה' עִם־יְהוּדָה וְלִפְקֹד עַל יַעֲקֹב כִּדְרָכָיו כְּמַעֲלָלָיו יָשִׁיב לוֹ

The Lord has a quarrel with Judah, and will reckon with the descendants of Jacob according to his ways; according to his exploits He will recompense him.

בַּבֶּטֶן עָקַב אֶת אָחִיו וּבְאוֹנוֹ שָׂרָה אֶת אֱלֹהִים

The prophet recounts some of the events in the life of Jacob the patriarch: Already in the womb, he was at his brother’s heels, attempting to overtake him, and in his strength he strove with God.

וַיָּשַׂר אֶל־מַלְאָךְ וַיֻּכָל בָּכָה וַיִּתְחַנֶּן־לוֹ בֵּית־אֵל יִמְצָאֶנּוּ וְשָׁם יְדַבֵּר עִמָּנוּ

He strove with an angel and prevailed, as he, the angel, wept and pleaded with him that Jacob should release him. In the city of Beit El, he, the angel of God, found him, Jacob. Likewise God found us, the prophets who descended from Jacob, and there He will speak with us.

וַה' אֱלֹהֵי הַצְּבָאוֹת ה' זִכְרוֹ

The Lord is the God of hosts; the Lord is His appellation. Jacob cleaved to God, and we prophets strive to do likewise.

וְאַתָּה בֵּאלֹהֶיךָ תָשׁוּב חֶסֶד וּמִשְׁפָּט שְׁמֹר וְקַוֵּה אֶל־אֱלֹהֶיךָ תָּמִיד

And you, return to your God, attend to kindness and justice, and long for your God constantly.

כְּנַעַן בְּיָדוֹ מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה לַעֲשֹׁק אָהֵב

In contrast, in the present, a trader, scales of deceit are in his hand; he loves to exploit.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶפְרַיִם אַךְ עָשַׁרְתִּי מָצָאתִי אוֹן לִי כָּל־יְגִיעַי לֹא יִמְצְאוּ־לִי עָוֹן אֲשֶׁר־חֵטְא

Ephraim said: Indeed, I became rich through my own efforts, without God’s help; I found power for myself. In all my exertion they will not find in me iniquity that is a sin. I cannot be suspected of having sinful sources of my wealth.

וְאָנֹכִי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עֹד אוֹשִׁיבְךָ בָאֳהָלִים כִּימֵי מוֹעֵד

I am the Lord your God since the time you were in the land of Egypt, and just as I protected you and gave you booths to dwell in when you set out into the wilderness, I will yet again settle you in tents, perhaps like that of Jacob, who is depicted as “a guileless man, living in tents,” or I will have you dwell in tents during your return from exile to the Land of Israel just as I did in the appointed days [mo’ed] of your wandering in the wilderness, or as in the days of the Tent of Meeting [Ohel Mo’ed].

וְדִבַּרְתִּי עַל הַנְּבִיאִים וְאָנֹכִי חָזוֹן הִרְבֵּיתִי וּבְיַד הַנְּבִיאִים אֲדַמֶּה

I spoke to the prophets and I multiplied their visions; by means of the prophets I am envisaged. The prophets see God, as it were, through images, pictures, and visions, which they must subsequently translate into a verbal prophecy. The Torah states, similarly, that all of the prophets except for Moses see God by means of dreams and obscure visions.

אִם גִּלְעָד אָוֶן אַךְ־שָׁוְא הָיוּ בַּגִּלְגָּל שְׁוָרִים זִבֵּחוּ גַּם מִזְבְּחוֹתָם כְּגַלִּים עַל תַּלְמֵי שָׂדָי

If Gilad, a land of anarchy rife with robbers and thieves, is iniquitous, then even after I increased the number of visions I gave to the prophets, they were but futility, as the people of Gilad remained deceitful. In Gilgal they slaughtered bulls in sacrifice to idols, and their altars are so numerous, they appear as heaps on the furrows of the field.

וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב שְׂדֵה אֲרָם וַיַּעֲבֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאִשָּׁה וּבְאִשָּׁה שָׁמָר

The prophet continues to link the events of Jacob’s life to the current situation in Israel: Jacob fled from his brother Esau, to the field of Aram. There, in Aram, Israel worked for a wife, Rachel, and for a wife he guarded sheep.

וּבְנָבִיא הֶעֱלָה ה' אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם וּבְ נָבִיא נִשְׁמָר

Just as Jacob fled to Aram, where he was put to work, so too the children of Israel descended to exile in Egypt, where they were enslaved. Subsequently, with a prophet, Moses, the Lord took Israel up from Egypt, and with a prophet it, the people, was guarded throughout all the years of wandering in the wilderness.

הִכְעִיס אֶפְרַיִם תַּמְרוּרִים וְדָמָיו עָלָיו יִטּוֹשׁ וחֶרְפָּתוֹ יָשִׁיב לוֹ אֲדֹנָיו

Ephraim, the Kingdom of Israel, has angered God bitterly, and his blood, the blood he shed, or his retribution, will rest upon him. He is responsible for his actions and for the resulting punishment, and ultimately his master will repay him with his disgrace.