1The leaders of Israel are constantly wavering about seeking help from other countries. Seeking their help is as useless as [MET] chasing the wind.
They pile up their lies and violent acts. First, they make a treaty with Assyria, and then they send olive oil to the rulers of Egypt to seek their help.

2Yahweh says that he will bring accusations against the leaders of Judah, and that he will punish the descendants of Jacob for what they have done.

3When Jacob was in his mother’s womb, he grabbed his brother Esau’s heel because he wanted to be born first. When Jacob grew up, he wrestled with God.

4He struggled with the one who had appeared to him in the form of an angel, and Jacob defeated him, but then he cried and asked the angel to bless him. Later, God came to Jacob at Bethel and talked with him there.

5That was the Commander of the armies of angels whose name is Yahweh who talked with him!

6But you people of Israel must return to your God! You must faithfully love him, and you must do what is fair/just
and always depend on him.

7The merchants among you use scales that do not weigh correctly; they love/like to cheat people.

8The people of Israel boast, saying “We are very rich [DOU]; and we got all that money by our own efforts, and without committing any sin.”

9“I am Yahweh your God, the one who brought your ancestors out of Egypt. And some day I will force you to live in tents again like your ancestors did when they celebrated the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters.

10Many times I spoke to the prophets, and I gave them many visions,
and I gave them parables to tell to the people.”

11The people of Gilead city are [RHQ] extremely wicked; they are worthless. The people sacrifice bulls in Gilgal city, but their altars will soon become like [SIM] piles of stone at the edge of a plowed field.

12Your ancestor Jacob fled from his brother Esau and went to northwest Mesopotamia.
He worked for his uncle Laban for many years to get a wife;
he took care of his uncle’s sheep to pay for her.

13Many years later, Yahweh enabled a prophet to bring the ancestors of you people of Israel here from Egypt; that prophet, Moses, took care of them.

14But now the people of Israel have caused Yahweh to become very angry; Yahweh says that they deserve to die because they caused many others to die [MTY];
he will pay them back for the sins that they have committed against him and for insulting him.