Micah 6

1 Hear ye now what the LORD saith: Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice.

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

2 Hear, O ye mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye enduring foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel.

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.

3 O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.

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

4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

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.

5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; [remember] from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteous acts of the LORD.

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.’

6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

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?

7 will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or 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?

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?

8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

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.

9 The voice of the LORD crieth unto the city, and [the man of] wisdom will see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

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

10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

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

11 Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?

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

12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

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

13 Therefore I also have smitten thee with a grievous wound; I have made thee desolate because of thy sins.

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

14 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy humiliation shall be in the midst of thee: and thou shalt remove, but shalt not carry away safe; and that which thou carriest away will I give up to the sword.

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.

15 Thou shalt sow, but shalt not reap: thou shalt tread the olives, but shalt not anoint thee with oil; and the vintage, but shalt not drink the wine.

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

16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels: that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing; and ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

‘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!’