Micah 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
God Challenges Israel
6 Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.(A)
2 Hear, you mountains, the case of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has a case against his people,
and he will contend with Israel.(B)
3 “O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!(C)
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.(D)
5 O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”(E)
What God Requires
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”(F)
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?(G)
Cheating and Violence to Be Punished
9 The voice of the Lord cries to the city
(and he shall save those who fear his name[a]):
Hear, O tribe and assembly of the city![b]
10 Can I forget[c] the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked
and the despicable false measure?(H)
11 Can I tolerate wicked scales
and a bag of dishonest weights?(I)
12 Your[d] wealthy are full of violence;
your[e] inhabitants speak lies
with tongues of deceit in their mouths.
13 Therefore I have begun[f] to strike you down,
making you desolate because of your sins.(J)
14 You shall eat but not be satisfied,
and there shall be a gnawing hunger within you;
you shall put away but not save,
and what you save, I will hand over to the sword.(K)
15 You shall sow but not reap;
you shall tread olives but not anoint yourselves with oil;
you shall tread grapes but not drink wine.(L)
16 For you have kept the statutes of Omri[g]
and all the works of the house of Ahab,
and you have followed their counsels.
Therefore I will make you a desolation and your[h] inhabitants an object of hissing,
so you shall bear the scorn of my people.(M)
Micah 6
International Standard Version
The Lord’s Indictment against Israel
6 Please hear what the Lord says:
“Get up and make your case before the mountains,
and let the hills listen to your voice.
2 Listen, you mountains, to the Lord’s argument!
Listen, you[a] strong foundations of the earth,
because the Lord has a dispute with his people,
and he will set out his case before Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you,
and how have I offended you?
Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and ransomed you from the house of slavery,
sending Moses, Aaron, and Miriam into your presence.
5 “My people, recall how king Balak of Moab deliberated,
and how Beor’s son Balaam counseled him from Shittim to Gilgal,
so that you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
The Nature of True Righteousness
6 How am I to present myself in the Lord’s presence
and bow in the presence of the High God?
Should I present myself with burnt offerings,
with year-old calves?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
or with endless[b] rivers of oil?
Am I to give my firstborn to pay for[c] my rebellion,
the fruit of my body in exchange for[d] my soul?
8 He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good
and what the Lord is requiring from you—
to act with justice,
to treasure the Lord’s[e] gracious love,
and to walk humbly in the company of your God.
A Call to Honest Business Practices
9 The voice of the Lord cries out to the city—
wisdom fears your name:
“Heed the rod, and the one who prepared it!
10 Are there still wicked treasures in the house of the wicked,
along with deceitful and abominable measuring standards?[f]
11 Will I tolerate those who maintain deceptive standards[g]
and who use deceitful weights in their business?[h]
12 Her rich people are filled with violence,
and her inhabitants tell lies—
their tongues speak deceitfully!
13 “Therefore I will make you ill when I attack you;
I will bring you to ruin because of your offenses.
14 You’ll eat,
but you won’t have enough;
and hunger will be common among you.
You’ll horde things,
but you won’t save them,
and what you preserve
I’ll give over to the sword.
15 You’ll plant,
but you won’t reap.
You’ll crush the olive harvest,
but you’ll have no oil to anoint yourself.
You’ll tread out the grapes,
but you’ll never drink wine.
16 You keep Omri’s[i] statutes
and observe the customs of the house of Ahab.
Because you live according to their advice,
I’ll make you desolate
and turn your[j] inhabitants into an object of scorn.
Therefore you will bear the shame of my people.”
Footnotes
- Micah 6:2 The Heb. lacks Listen, you
- Micah 6:7 Lit. with ten thousand
- Micah 6:7 The Heb. lacks to pay for
- Micah 6:7 The Heb. lacks in exchange for
- Micah 6:8 The Heb. lacks the Lord’s
- Micah 6:10 Lit. with short, detestable ephahs
- Micah 6:11 Lit. maintain evil balances
- Micah 6:11 The Heb. lacks in their business
- Micah 6:16 I.e. King Omri of Israel, father of Ahab (cf. 2Kings 8:26; 2Chr 22:2)
- Micah 6:16 Lit. its
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