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)

A Call to Honest Business Practices

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?[a]
11 Will I tolerate those who maintain deceptive standards[b]
    and who use deceitful weights in their business?[c]
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[d] 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[e] inhabitants into an object of scorn.
Therefore you will bear the shame of my people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:10 Lit. with short, detestable ephahs
  2. Micah 6:11 Lit. maintain evil balances
  3. Micah 6:11 The Heb. lacks in their business
  4. Micah 6:16 I.e. King Omri of Israel, father of Ahab (cf. 2Kings 8:26; 2Chr 22:2)
  5. Micah 6:16 Lit. its