God’s Indictment of His People
6 Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case [a]before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring (A)foundations of the earth,
Because the (B)Lord has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.
3 “(C)My people, (D)what have I done to you,
And (E)how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 “Indeed, I (F)brought you up from the land of Egypt
And (G)ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you (H)Moses, Aaron and (I)Miriam.
5 “My people, remember now
What (J)Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from (K)Shittim to (L)Gilgal,
So [b]that you might know the (M)righteous acts of the Lord.”
What God Requires of Man
6 (N)With what shall I come to the Lord
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with (O)burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the Lord take delight in (P)thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my (Q)firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has (R)told you, O man, what is good;
And (S)what does the Lord require of you
But to (T)do justice, to (U)love [c]kindness,
And to walk [d](V)humbly with your God?
9 The voice of the Lord will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed [e]its time?
10 “Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of (W)wickedness
And a [f](X)short measure that is cursed?
11 “Can I justify wicked (Y)scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 “For the rich men of the [g]city are full of (Z)violence,
Her residents speak (AA)lies,
And their (AB)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “So also I will make you (AC)sick, striking you down,
(AD)Desolating you because of your sins.
14 “You will eat, but you will (AE)not be satisfied,
And your [h]vileness will be in your midst.
You will try to remove for safekeeping,
But you will (AF)not preserve anything,
And what you do preserve I will give to the sword.
15 “You will sow but you will (AG)not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will (AH)not drink wine.
16 “The statutes of (AI)Omri
And all the works of the house of (AJ)Ahab are observed;
And in their devices you (AK)walk.
Therefore I will give you up for (AL)destruction
And [i]your inhabitants for (AM)derision,
And you will bear the (AN)reproach of My people.”
Footnotes
- Micah 6:1 Lit with
- Micah 6:5 Lit to know
- Micah 6:8 Or loyalty
- Micah 6:8 Or circumspectly
- Micah 6:9 Lit it
- Micah 6:10 Lit shrunken ephah
- Micah 6:12 Lit her
- Micah 6:14 Or possibly garbage or excreta
- Micah 6:16 Lit her
Cross references
- Micah 6:2 : 2 Sam 22:16; Ps 104:5
- Micah 6:2 : Is 1:18; Hos 4:1; 12:2
- Micah 6:3 : Ps 50:7
- Micah 6:3 : Jer 2:5
- Micah 6:3 : Is 43:22, 23
- Micah 6:4 : Ex 12:51; 20:2
- Micah 6:4 : Deut 7:8
- Micah 6:4 : Ex 4:10-16; Ps 77:20
- Micah 6:4 : Ex 15:20
- Micah 6:5 : Num 22:5, 6
- Micah 6:5 : Num 25:1; Josh 2:1; 3:1
- Micah 6:5 : Josh 4:19; 5:9, 10
- Micah 6:5 : 1 Sam 12:7; Is 1:27
- Micah 6:6 : Ps 40:6-8
- Micah 6:6 : Ps 51:16, 17
- Micah 6:7 : Ps 50:9; Is 1:1; 40:16
- Micah 6:7 : Lev 18:21; 20:1-5; 2 Kin 16:3; Jer 7:31
- Micah 6:8 : Deut 30:15
- Micah 6:8 : Deut 10:12
- Micah 6:8 : Is 56:1; Jer 22:3
- Micah 6:8 : Hos 6:6
- Micah 6:8 : Is 57:15; 66:2
- Micah 6:10 : Jer 5:26, 27; Amos 3:10
- Micah 6:10 : Ezek 45:9, 10; Amos 8:5
- Micah 6:11 : Lev 19:36; Hos 12:7
- Micah 6:12 : Is 1:23; 5:7; Amos 6:3, 4; Mic 2:1, 2
- Micah 6:12 : Jer 9:2-6, 8; Hos 7:13; Amos 2:4
- Micah 6:12 : Is 3:8
- Micah 6:13 : Mic 1:9
- Micah 6:13 : Is 1:7; 6:11
- Micah 6:14 : Is 9:20
- Micah 6:14 : Is 30:6
- Micah 6:15 : Deut 28:38-40; Jer 12:13
- Micah 6:15 : Amos 5:11; Zeph 1:13
- Micah 6:16 : 1 Kin 16:25, 26
- Micah 6:16 : 1 Kin 16:29-33
- Micah 6:16 : Jer 7:24
- Micah 6:16 : Jer 18:16; Mic 6:13
- Micah 6:16 : Jer 19:8; 25:9, 18; 29:18
- Micah 6:16 : Ps 44:13; Jer 51:51; Hos 12:14