Micah 6:6–7

6:6 With what should I9 enter the Lord’s presence?

With what10 should I bow before the sovereign God?11

Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings,

with year-old calves?

6:7 Will the Lord accept a thousand rams,

or ten thousand streams of olive oil?

Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion,

my offspring—my own flesh and blood—for my sin?12

9	sn With what should I enter the Lord’s presence? The prophet speaks again, playing the role of an inquisitive worshiper who wants to know what God really desires from his followers.
10	tn The words “with what” do double duty in the parallelism and are supplied in the second line of the translation for clarification.
11	tn Or “the exalted God.”
12	tn Heb “the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is often translated “soul,” but the word usually refers to the whole person; here “the sin of my soul” = “my sin.”