The voice of the Lord will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
[a]Hear, you tribe. Who has designated [b]its time?
10 Is there still a person in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of (A)wickedness,
And a [c](B)short measure that is cursed?
11 Can I justify dishonest (C)balances,
And a bag of fraudulent weights?
12 For the rich people of [d]the city are full of (D)violence,
Her residents speak (E)lies,
And their (F)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 So also I will make you (G)sick, striking you down,
(H)Making you desolate because of your sins.
14 You will eat, but you will (I)not be satisfied,
And your filth will be in your midst.
You will try to remove valuables for safekeeping,
But you will (J)not save it all,
And what you do save I will turn over to the sword.
15 You will sow but you will (K)not harvest.
You will tread the olive press but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And tread out sweet wine, but you will (L)not drink any wine.
16 The statutes of (M)Omri
And every work of the house of (N)Ahab are maintained,
And you (O)walk by their plans.
Therefore I will give you up for (P)destruction,
And [e]your inhabitants for [f](Q)derision,
And you will suffer the (R)taunting of My people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:9 Or Hear about the rod and who designated it
  2. Micah 6:9 Lit it
  3. Micah 6:10 Lit shrunken ephah
  4. Micah 6:12 Lit her are
  5. Micah 6:16 Lit her
  6. Micah 6:16 Lit whistling (in mockery)

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

Fear the Lord if you are wise!
    His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem:
“The armies of destruction are coming;
    the Lord is sending them.[a]
10 What shall I say about the homes of the wicked
    filled with treasures gained by cheating?
What about the disgusting practice
    of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?[b]
11 How can I tolerate your merchants
    who use dishonest scales and weights?
12 The rich among you have become wealthy
    through extortion and violence.
Your citizens are so used to lying
    that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.

13 “Therefore, I will wound you!
    I will bring you to ruin for all your sins.
14 You will eat but never have enough.
    Your hunger pangs and emptiness will remain.
And though you try to save your money,
    it will come to nothing in the end.
You will save a little,
    but I will give it to those who conquer you.
15 You will plant crops
    but not harvest them.
You will press your olives
    but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves.
You will trample the grapes
    but get no juice to make your wine.
16 You keep only the laws of evil King Omri;
    you follow only the example of wicked King Ahab!
Therefore, I will make an example of you,
    bringing you to complete ruin.
You will be treated with contempt,
    mocked by all who see you.”

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Footnotes

  1. 6:9 Hebrew “Listen to the rod. / Who appointed it?”
  2. 6:10 Hebrew of using the short ephah? The ephah was a unit for measuring grain.