Micah 6
Christian Standard Bible
God’s Lawsuit against Judah
6 Now listen to what the Lord is saying:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your complaint.[a]
2 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.
3 My people,(D) what have I done to you,(E)
or how have I wearied you?(F)
Testify against me!
4 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.
5 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)
6 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?
7 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?
8 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
9 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
- 6:1 Lit voice
- 6:5 Or from Shittim
- 6:9 = Jerusalem
- 6:9 Or attention, you tribe. Who has ordained it?; Hb obscure
- 6:10 Hb obscure
- 6:13 LXX, Aq, Theod, Syr, Vg; MT reads I have made you sick by striking you down
- 6:14 Hb obscure
- 6:16 Lit and its
- 6:16 Lit residents a hissing
- 6:16 LXX reads of the peoples
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)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.