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Hosea chapter 12 in Hebrew and English

15 verses, about 2 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

סְבָבֻנִי בְכַחַשׁ אֶפְרַיִם וּבְמִרְמָה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוּדָה עֹד רָד עִם־אֵל וְעִם־קְדוֹשִׁים נֶאֱמָֽן׃

Ephraim compasseth Me about with lies, And the house of Israel with deceit; And Judah is yet wayward towards God, And towards the Holy One who is faithful.

אֶפְרַיִם רֹעֶה רוּחַ וְרֹדֵף קָדִים כָּל־הַיּוֹם כָּזָב וָשֹׁד יַרְבֶּה וּבְרִית עִם־אַשּׁוּר יִכְרֹתוּ וְשֶׁמֶן לְמִצְרַיִם יוּבָֽל׃

Ephraim striveth after wind, and followeth after the east wind; All the day he multiplieth lies and desolation; And they make a covenant with Assyria, And oil is carried into Egypt.

וְרִיב לַיהוָה עִם־יְהוּדָה וְלִפְקֹד עַל־יַעֲקֹב כִּדְרָכָיו כְּמַעֲלָלָיו יָשִׁיב לֽוֹ׃

The LORD hath also a controversy with Judah, And will punish Jacob according to his ways, According to his doings will He recompense him.

בַּבֶּטֶן עָקַב אֶת־אָחִיו וּבְאוֹנוֹ שָׂרָה אֶת־אֱלֹהִֽים׃

In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he strove with a godlike being;

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

So he strove with an angel, and prevailed; He wept, and made supplication unto him; At Beth-el he would find him, And there he would speak with us;

וַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי הַצְּבָאוֹת יְהוָה זִכְרֽוֹ׃

But the LORD, the God of hosts, The LORD is His name.

וְאַתָּה בֵּאלֹהֶיךָ תָשׁוּב חֶסֶד וּמִשְׁפָּט שְׁמֹר וְקַוֵּה אֶל־אֱלֹהֶיךָ תָּמִֽיד׃

Therefore turn thou to thy God; Keep mercy and justice, And wait for thy God continually.

כְּנַעַן בְּיָדוֹ מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה לַעֲשֹׁק אָהֵֽב׃

As for the trafficker, the balances of deceit are in his hand. He loveth to oppress.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶפְרַיִם אַךְ עָשַׁרְתִּי מָצָאתִי אוֹן לִי כָּל־יְגִיעַי לֹא יִמְצְאוּ־לִי עָוֺן אֲשֶׁר־חֵֽטְא׃

And Ephraim said: ‘Surely I am become rich, I have found me wealth; In all my labours they shall find in me No iniquity that were sin.’

וְאָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם עֹד אוֹשִׁיבְךָ בָאֳהָלִים כִּימֵי מוֹעֵֽד׃

But I am the LORD thy God From the land of Egypt; I will yet again make thee to dwell in tents, As in the days of the appointed season.

וְדִבַּרְתִּי עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים וְאָנֹכִי חָזוֹן הִרְבֵּיתִי וּבְיַד הַנְּבִיאִים אֲדַמֶּֽה׃

I have also spoken unto the prophets, And I have multiplied visions; And by the ministry of the prophets have I used similitudes.

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

If Gilead be given to iniquity Becoming altogether vanity, In Gilgal they sacrifice unto bullocks; Yea, their altars shall be as heaps In the furrows of the field.

וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב שְׂדֵה אֲרָם וַיַּעֲבֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאִשָּׁה וּבְאִשָּׁה שָׁמָֽר׃

And Jacob fled into the field of Aram, And Israel served for a wife, And for a wife he kept sheep.

וּבְנָבִיא הֶעֱלָה יְהוָה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם וּבְנָבִיא נִשְׁמָֽר׃

And by a prophet the LORD brought Israel up out of Egypt, And by a prophet was he kept.

הִכְעִיס אֶפְרַיִם תַּמְרוּרִים וְדָמָיו עָלָיו יִטּוֹשׁ וְחֶרְפָּתוֹ יָשִׁיב לוֹ אֲדֹנָֽיו׃

Ephraim hath provoked most bitterly; Therefore shall his blood be cast upon him, And his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 12 of the 14 chapters of Hosea
  • Hosea is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets
  • 15 verses, 160 words, about 2 minutes to read

Hosea has 14 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of Hosea·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does Hosea chapter 12 have?

Hosea chapter 12 has 15 verses and 160 words.

How does Hosea chapter 12 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words סבבני בכחש אפרים ובמרמה.

Where does Hosea chapter 12 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 12 of the 14 chapters of Hosea, which is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets.

How long does it take to read Hosea chapter 12?

About 2 minutes, at a steady pace.