Add parallel Print Page Options

Yahweh’s Case Against His People

[a](A)Listen now to what Yahweh is saying,

“Arise, plead your case [b]before the mountains,
And let the hills [c](B)listen to your voice.
[d](C)Listen, you mountains, to the case of Yahweh,
And you enduring (D)foundations of the earth,
Because (E)Yahweh has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will reprove.
(F)My people, (G)what have I done to you,
And (H)how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
Indeed, I (I)brought you up from the land of Egypt
And (J)ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you (K)Moses, Aaron, and (L)Miriam.
My people, remember now
What (M)Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from (N)Shittim to (O)Gilgal,
So [e]that you might know the (P)righteous acts of Yahweh.”

What Yahweh Requires

(Q)With what shall I come before Yahweh
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come before Him with (R)burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
Is Yahweh pleased with (S)thousands of rams,
With ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my (T)firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has (U)told you, O man, what is good;
And (V)what does Yahweh require of you
But to (W)do justice, to (X)love lovingkindness,
And to walk [f](Y)humbly with your God?

The voice of Yahweh will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who even has appointed [g]its time?
10 Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of (Z)wickedness,
And a [h](AA)short measure which is cursed?
11 Can I purify wicked (AB)scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 For the rich men of [i]the city are full of (AC)violence,
And her inhabitants speak (AD)lies,
And their (AE)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 So also I will make you (AF)sick, striking you down,
(AG)Desolating you because of your sins.
14 You will eat, but you will (AH)not be satisfied,
And your [j]vileness will be in your midst.
And you will try to remove something for safekeeping,
But you will (AI)not cause anything to escape,
And that which you do have escape, I will give to the sword.
15 You will sow but you will (AJ)not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will (AK)not drink wine.
16 The statutes of (AL)Omri
And all the works of the house of (AM)Ahab are kept;
And in their counsels you (AN)walk.
Therefore I will give you up as (AO)an object of horror
And [k]your inhabitants as an (AP)object of hissing,
And you will bear the (AQ)reproach of My people.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:1 Or hear
  2. Micah 6:1 Lit with
  3. Micah 6:1 Or hear
  4. Micah 6:2 Or hear
  5. Micah 6:5 Lit to know
  6. Micah 6:8 Or circumspectly
  7. Micah 6:9 Lit it
  8. Micah 6:10 Lit shrunken ephah
  9. Micah 6:12 Lit her
  10. Micah 6:14 Or possibly garbage, excreta
  11. Micah 6:16 Lit her

God’s Lawsuit against Judah

Now listen to what the Lord is saying:

Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your complaint.[a]
Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit,(A)
you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth,(B)
because the Lord has a case against his people,(C)
and he will argue it against Israel.
My people,(D) what have I done to you,(E)
or how have I wearied you?(F)
Testify against me!
Indeed, I brought you up(G) from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you(H) from that place of slavery.(I)
I sent Moses,(J) Aaron, and Miriam(K) ahead of you.
My people,
remember what King Balak of Moab(L) proposed,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,(M)
and what happened from the Acacia Grove[b](N) to Gilgal(O)
so that you may acknowledge
the Lord’s righteous acts.(P)

What should I bring before the Lord(Q)
when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before him with burnt offerings,(R)
with year-old calves?
Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams(S)
or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,(T)
the offspring of my body for my own sin?

Mankind, he has told each of you what is good(U)
and what it is the Lord requires of you:(V)
to act justly,(W)
to love faithfulness,(X)
and to walk humbly with your God.(Y)

Verdict of Judgment

The voice of the Lord calls out to the city[c]
(and it is wise to fear your name):
“Pay attention to the rod
and the one who ordained it.[d]
10 Are there still[e] the treasures of wickedness(Z)
and the accursed short measure(AA)
in the house of the wicked?
11 Can I excuse wicked scales
or bags of deceptive weights?(AB)
12 For the wealthy of the city are full of violence,(AC)
and its residents speak lies;(AD)
the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.(AE)

13 “As a result, I have begun to strike you severely,[f](AF)
bringing desolation because of your sins.(AG)
14 You will eat but not be satisfied,(AH)
for there will be hunger within you.
What you acquire, you cannot save,(AI)
and what you do save,
I will give to the sword.[g]
15 You will sow but not reap;(AJ)
you will press olives
but not anoint yourself with oil;
and you will tread grapes
but not drink the wine.(AK)
16 The statutes of Omri
and all the practices of Ahab’s house
have been observed;
you have followed their policies.(AL)
Therefore, I will make you a desolate place(AM)
and the city’s[h] residents an object of contempt;[i](AN)
you will bear the scorn of my people.”[j](AO)

Footnotes

  1. 6:1 Lit voice
  2. 6:5 Or from Shittim
  3. 6:9 = Jerusalem
  4. 6:9 Or attention, you tribe. Who has ordained it?; Hb obscure
  5. 6:10 Hb obscure
  6. 6:13 LXX, Aq, Theod, Syr, Vg; MT reads I have made you sick by striking you down
  7. 6:14 Hb obscure
  8. 6:16 Lit and its
  9. 6:16 Lit residents a hissing
  10. 6:16 LXX reads of the peoples