The Indictment of the Lord

(A)Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
    and let the hills hear your voice.
(B)Hear, you mountains, (C)the indictment of the Lord,
    and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
    and he will contend with Israel.

“O my people, (D)what have I done to you?
    (E)How have I wearied you? Answer me!
For (F)I brought you up from the land of Egypt
    and (G)redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
    Aaron, and (H)Miriam.
O my people, remember (I)what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from (J)Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know (K)the righteous acts of the Lord.”

What Does the Lord Require?

(L)“With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before (M)God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
(N)Will the Lord be pleased with[a] thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
(O)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and (P)what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[b]
    and to (Q)walk humbly with your God?

Destruction of the Wicked

The voice of the Lord cries to the city—
    and it is sound wisdom to fear (R)your name:
“Hear of (S)the rod and of him who appointed it![c]
10     Can I forget any longer the treasures[d] of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
    and the scant measure that is accursed?
11 Shall I acquit the man (T)with wicked scales
    and with a bag of deceitful weights?
12 Your[e] rich men are (U)full of violence;
    your inhabitants (V)speak lies,
    and (W)their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,
    (X)making you desolate because of your sins.
14 (Y)You shall eat, but not be satisfied,
    and there shall be hunger within you;
you shall put away, but not preserve,
    and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
15 (Z)You shall sow, but not reap;
    you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
    you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
16 For you have kept the statutes of (AA)Omri,[f]
    and all the works of the house of (AB)Ahab;
    and you have walked in their counsels,
that I may make you (AC)a desolation, and your[g] inhabitants (AD)a hissing;
    so you shall bear (AE)the scorn of my people.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:7 Or Will the Lord accept
  2. Micah 6:8 Or steadfast love
  3. Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  4. Micah 6:10 Or Are there still treasures
  5. Micah 6:12 Hebrew whose
  6. Micah 6:16 Hebrew For the statutes of Omri are kept
  7. Micah 6:16 Hebrew its

Hear ye now what Hashem saith: Arise, contend thou before heharim (the mountains), and let the hills hear thy voice.

Hear ye, O harim (mountains), the riv Hashem (dispute, case, lawsuit of Hashem); listen, ye enduring mosedei eretz (foundations of the earth); for Hashem hath a case against His people, and He will contend with Yisroel.

O Ami (My people), what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I been a burden to thee? Testify against Me.

For I brought thee up out of Eretz Mitzrayim, and redeemed thee out of the bais avadim (house of slaves); and sent before thee Moshe, Aharon, and Miryam.

O Ami (My people), remember now what Balak Melech Moav did plot, and what Bala’am ben Beor answered him from Sheetim to Gilgal [See Yehoshua chps 3-4]; that ye may have da’as of the tzidkot (righteous acts of) Hashem.

With what shall I come before Hashem, and bow myself before Elohei Marom (G-d on High)? Shall I come before Him with olot (burnt offerings), with calves a year old?

Will Hashem be pleased with thousands of eilim (rams), or with ten thousand rivers of shemen (olive oil)? Shall I give my bechor (firstborn) for my peysha, the p’ri (fruit) of my beten for the chattat (sin) of my nefesh?

He hath showed thee, O adam (man), what is tov. And what doth Hashem require of thee, but to do mishpat, and ahavat chesed, and to walk humbly with Eloheicha?

Hashem’s voice crieth unto the ir (city): To fear Thy Shem (Name) is wisdom; heed the rod and the One who appointed it.

10 Are there yet the otzerot (treasures) of wickedness in the bais rasha (the house of the wicked), and the scant measure, the too small eifah (bushel) which is accursed?

11 Shall I acquit the one with dishonest scales, and with the bag of mirmah (deceitful) weights? [T.N. see Moshiach without mirmah, Yeshayah 53:9]

12 For the oisher (the wealthy) thereof are full of chamas (violence), and the inhabitants thereof have spoken sheker, and their leshon (tongue) is remiyah (guile) in their mouth. [see Moshiach without chamas, Yeshayah 53:9]

13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in striking thee, in making thee desolate because of chattotecha.

14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy emptiness remains in thee; and thou shalt put away but not save; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the cherev (sword).

15 Thou shalt sow the zera, but thou shalt not reap the katzir (harvest); thou shalt tread the zayit (olives), but thou shalt not anoint thee with shemen (olive oil); and yayin shalt thou not drink.

16 For the chukkot Omri (statutes of Omri) are kept, and kol ma’aseh Bais Ach’av (all the works of the House of Ahab); and ye walk in their mo’atzot (advise, counsel); therefore, I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an object of hissing; therefore ye shall bear the cherpah (scorn, abuse, disgrace) of Ami (My people).