Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or 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?

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Read full chapter

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before the high God?
shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves of a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
or 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?
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;
and what doth the Lord require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God?

Read full chapter

What should I bring before the Lord(A)
when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before Him with burnt offerings,(B)
with year-old calves?
Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams(C)
or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,(D)
the child of my body for my own sin?

Mankind, He has told you what is good(E)
and what it is the Lord requires of you:(F)
to act justly,(G)
to love faithfulness,(H)
and to walk humbly with your God.(I)

Read full chapter

Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old? will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Read full chapter

With what do I come before Jehovah? Do I bow to God Most High? Do I come before Him with burnt-offerings? With calves -- sons of a year?

Is Jehovah pleased with thousands of rams? With myriads of streams of oil? Do I give my first-born [for] my transgression? The fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul?

He hath declared to thee, O man, what [is] good; Yea, what is Jehovah requiring of thee, Except -- to do judgment, and love kindness, And lowly to walk with thy God?

Read full chapter

Hear ye now what the Lord saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.

Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.

For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or 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?

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?

12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.

15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Hear ye now what the Lord saith;
Arise, contend thou before the mountains,
and let the hills hear thy voice.
Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord’s controversy,
and ye strong foundations of the earth:
for the Lord hath a controversy with his people,
and he will plead with Israel.
O my people, what have I done unto thee?
and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt,
and redeemed thee out of the house of servants;
and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted,
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal;
that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before the high God?
shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves of a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
or 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?
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;
and what doth the Lord require of thee,
but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God?
The Lord’s voice crieth unto the city,
and the man of wisdom shall see thy name:
hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
and the scant measure that is abominable?
11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances,
and with the bag of deceitful weights?
12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence,
and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies,
and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee,
in making thee desolate because of thy sins.
14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied;
and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee;
and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver;
and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
15 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap;
thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil;
and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
16 For the statutes of Omri are kept,
and all the works of the house of Ahab,
and ye walk in their counsels;
that I should make thee a desolation,
and the inhabitants thereof an hissing:
therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

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 voice.
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 Balak king of Moab(L) proposed,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,(M)
and what happened from the Acacia Grove[a](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 child of my body for my own sin?

Mankind, He has told 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 Yahweh calls out to the city[b]
(and it is wise to fear Your name):
“Pay attention to the rod
and the One who ordained it.[c]
10 Are there still[d] 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,[e](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.[f]
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[g] residents an object of contempt;[h](AN)
you will bear the scorn of My people.”[i](AO)

Footnotes

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

Hear ye now what Jehovah saith: Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear, O ye mountains, Jehovah’s controversy, and ye enduring foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; remember from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteous acts of Jehovah.

Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old? will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?

The voice of Jehovah crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom will [a]see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 10 Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a scant [b]measure that is abominable? 11 Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights? 12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 Therefore I also have smitten thee with a grievous wound; I have made thee desolate because of thy sins. 14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy [c]humiliation shall be in the midst of thee: and thou shalt put away, but shalt not save; and that which thou savest will I give up to the sword. 15 Thou shalt sow, but shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but shalt not anoint thee with oil; and the vintage, but shalt not drink the wine. 16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I may make thee [d]a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof a hissing: and ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:9 According to Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac, fear.
  2. Micah 6:10 Hebrew ephah.
  3. Micah 6:14 Or, emptiness
  4. Micah 6:16 Or, an astonishment

Hear, I pray you, that which Jehovah is saying: `Rise -- strive thou with the mountains, And cause thou the hills to hear thy voice.'

Hear, O mountains, the strife of Jehovah, Ye strong ones -- foundations of earth! For a strife [is] to Jehovah, with His people, And with Israel He doth reason.

O My people, what have I done to thee? And what -- have I wearied thee? Testify against Me.

For I brought thee up from the land of Egypt, And from the house of servants I have ransomed thee, And I send before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

O My people, remember, I pray you, What counsel did Balak king of Moab, What answer him did Balaam son of Beor, (From Shittim unto Gilgal,) In order to know the righteous acts of Jehovah.'

With what do I come before Jehovah? Do I bow to God Most High? Do I come before Him with burnt-offerings? With calves -- sons of a year?

Is Jehovah pleased with thousands of rams? With myriads of streams of oil? Do I give my first-born [for] my transgression? The fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul?

He hath declared to thee, O man, what [is] good; Yea, what is Jehovah requiring of thee, Except -- to do judgment, and love kindness, And lowly to walk with thy God?

A voice of Jehovah to the city calleth, And wisdom doth fear Thy name, Hear ye the rod, and Him who appointed it.

10 Are there yet [in] the house of the wicked Treasures of wickedness, And the abhorred scanty ephah?

11 Do I reckon [it] pure with balances of wickedness? And with a bag of deceitful stones?

12 Whose rich ones have been full of violence, And its inhabitants have spoken falsehood, And their tongue [is] deceitful in their mouth.

13 And I also, I have begun to smite thee, To make desolate, because of thy sins.

14 Thou -- thou eatest, and thou art not satisfied, And thy pit [is] in thy midst, And thou removest, and dost not deliver, And that which thou deliverest, to a sword I give.

15 Thou -- thou sowest, and thou dost not reap, Thou -- thou treadest the olive, And thou pourest not out oil, And new wine -- and thou drinkest not wine.

16 And kept habitually are the statutes of Omri, And all the work of the house of Ahab, And ye do walk in their counsels, For My giving thee for a desolation, And its inhabitants for a hissing, And the reproach of My people ye do bear!