Micah 6:9-7:8

New King James Version

Punishment of Israel’s Injustice

⁹The Lord’s voice cries to the city—
Wisdom shall see Your name:

“Hear the rod!
Who has appointed it?
¹⁰Are there yet the treasures of wickedness
In the house of the wicked,
And the short measure that is an abomination?
¹¹Shall I count pure those with ^(A)the wicked scales,
And with the bag of deceitful weights?
¹²For her rich men are full of ^(B)violence,
Her inhabitants have spoken lies,
And ^(C)their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

¹³“Therefore I will also ^(D)make you sick by striking you,
By making you desolate because of your sins.
¹⁴^(E)You shall eat, but not be satisfied;
^[a]Hunger shall be in your midst.
You may carry some away,^[b] but shall not save them;
And what you do rescue I will give over to the sword.

¹⁵“You shall ^(F)sow, but not reap;
You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.
¹⁶For the statutes of ^(G)Omri are ^(H)kept;
All the works of Ahab’s house are done;
And you walk in their counsels,
That I may make you a ^[c]desolation,
And your inhabitants a hissing.
Therefore you shall bear the ^(I)reproach of ^[d]My people.”

Sorrow for Israel’s Sins

7 Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who ^(J)glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which ^(K)my soul desires.
²The ^(L)faithful^[e] man has perished from the earth,
And there is no one upright among men.
They all lie in wait for blood;
^(M)Every man hunts his brother with a net.

³That they may successfully do evil with both hands—
The prince asks for gifts,
The judge seeks a ^(N)bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire;
So they scheme together.
⁴The best of them is ^(O)like a brier;
The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge;
The day of your watchman and your punishment comes;
Now shall be their perplexity.

⁵^(P)Do not trust in a friend;
Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your ^(Q)bosom.
⁶For ^(R)son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
⁷Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will ^(S)wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.