Micah 6

1 Hear now what the Lord is saying: Arise, present your complaint before the mountains, let the hills hear your voice!

Hear ye what the Lord saith: Arise, contend thou in judgment against the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.

2 Hear, mountains, the Lord’s accusation, listen, foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people. He has a dispute with Israel.

Let the mountains hear the judgment of the Lord, and the strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord will enter into judgment with his people, and he will plead against Israel.

3 ‘My people, what have I done to you. How have I displeased you? Answer me!

O my people, what have I done to thee, or in what have I molested thee? answer thou me.

4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, from the land of slavery I redeemed you. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.

For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and delivered thee out of the house of slaves: and I sent before thy face Moses, and Aaron, and Mary.

5 My people, what did Balak, king of Moab counsel? And how did Balaam, the son of Beor, answer him? Remember now the journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you might realise the just deeds of the Lord.’

O my people, remember, I pray thee, what Balach the king of Moab purposed: and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Setim to Galgal, that thou mightest know the justices of the Lord.

6 With what should I come before the Lord? Bow myself before the God on high? Should I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?

What shall I offer to the Lord that is worthy? wherewith shall I kneel before the high God? shall I offer holocausts unto him, and calves of a year old?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, With ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give him my firstborn son for my guilt, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

May the Lord be appeased with thousands of rams, or with many thousands of fat he goats? shall I give my firstborn for my wickedness, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 The Lord has told you what is good, what he demands of you: Only to do justice and love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

I will shew thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requireth of thee: Verily, to do judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk solicitous with thy God.

9 Listen! The Lord calls to the city! Listen, tribe and assembly of the city!

The voice of the Lord crieth to the city, and salvation shall be to them that fear thy name: hear, O ye tribes, and who shall approve it?

10 ‘Can I forget the hoarded treasures in the houses of the wicked, and the accursed scant measure?

As yet there is a fire in the house of the wicked, the treasures of iniquity, and a scant measure full of wrath.

11 Can I leave her unpunished because of evil scales, and the bag of false weights?

Shall I justify wicked balances, and the deceitful weights of the bag?

12 Whose rich people are full of violence, her inhabitants liars, whose tongues speak deceit?

By which her rich men were filled with iniquity, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue was deceitful in their mouth.

13 ‘But I indeed, have begun to punish you, to lay you in ruins because of your sins.

And I therefore began to strike thee with desolation for thy sins.

14 You will eat but not be satisfied, your stomach empty within you. You will store up but lose everything, because whatever you save I will give to the sword.

Thou shalt eat, but shalt not be filled: and thy humiliation shall be in the midst of thee: and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not save: and those whom thou shalt save, I will give up to the sword.

15 You will sow but not reap. You will tread the olives but have no oil for rubbing, tread grapes but drink no wine!

Thou shalt sow, but shalt not reap: thou shalt tread the olives, but shalt not be anointed with the oil: and the new wine, but shalt not drink the wine.

16 ‘For you have followed the commands of Omri, and all the practices of the house of Ahab. You have acted in accord with their counsels, so I will give you up to ruin, the city’s inhabitants to derision. The nations will treat you with contempt!’

For thou hast kept the statutes of Amri, and all the works of the house of Achab: and thou hast walked according to their wills, that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof a hissing, and you shall bear the reproach of my people.