Micah 6–7

God’s Lawsuit against Judah

6Now listen to what the Lord is saying:

Rise, plead your case before the mountains,

and let the hills hear your voice.

²Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit, ^f

you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth, ^g

because the Lord has a case against His people, ^h

and He will argue it against Israel.

³My people, ⁱwhat have I done to you, ^j

or how have I wearied you? ^k

Testify against Me!

⁴Indeed, I brought you up ^lfrom the land of Egypt

and redeemed you ^mfrom that place of slavery. ⁿ

I sent Moses, ^oAaron, and Miriam ^pahead of you.

⁵My people,

remember what Balak king of Moab ^qproposed,

what Balaam son of Beor answered him, ^r

and what happened from the Acacia Grove ^stto Gilgal ^u

so that you may acknowledge

the Lord’s righteous acts. ^v

⁶What should I bring before the Lord ^w

when I come to bow before God on high?

Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, ^x

with year-old calves?

⁷Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams ^y

or with ten thousand streams of oil?

Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, ^z

the child of my body for my own sin?

⁸Mankind, He has told you what is good ^a

and what it is the Lord requires of you: ^b

to act justly, ^c

to love faithfulness, ^d

and to walk humbly with your God. ^e

Verdict of Judgment

⁹The voice of Yahweh calls out to the city ^f

(and it is wise to fear Your name):

“Pay attention to the rod

and the One who ordained it. ^g

¹⁰Are there still ^hthe treasures of wickedness ⁱ

and the accursed short measure ^j

in the house of the wicked?

¹¹Can I excuse wicked scales

or bags of deceptive weights? ^k

¹²For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, ^l

and its residents speak lies; ^m

the tongues in their mouths are deceitful. ⁿ

¹³“As a result, I have begun to strike you severely, ^op

bringing desolation because of your sins. ^q

¹⁴You will eat but not be satisfied, ^r

for there will be hunger within you.

What you acquire, you cannot save, ^s

and what you do save,

I will give to the sword. ^t

¹⁵You will sow but not reap; ^u

you will press olives

but not anoint yourself with oil;

and you will tread grapes

but not drink the wine. ^v

¹⁶The statutes of Omri

and all the practices of Ahab’s house

have been observed;

you have followed their policies. ^w

Therefore, I will make you a desolate place ^x

and the city’s ^yresidents an object of contempt; ^za

you will bear the scorn of My people.” ^bc

Israel’s Moral Decline

7How sad for me!

For I am like one who—

when the summer fruit has been gathered

after the gleaning of the grape harvest ^d—

finds no grape cluster to eat,

no early fig, which I crave. ^e

²Godly people have vanished from the land; ^f

there is no one upright among the people. ^g

All of them wait in ambush to shed blood; ^h

they hunt each other with a net. ⁱ

³Both hands are good ^jat accomplishing evil:

the official and the judge demand a bribe; ^k

when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,

they plot it together.

⁴The best of them is like a brier; ^l

the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. ^m

The day of your watchmen,

the day of your punishment, is coming; ⁿ

at this time their panic is here. ^o

⁵Do not rely on a friend; ^p

don’t trust in a close companion.

Seal your mouth

from the woman who lies in your arms.

⁶Surely a son considers his father a fool, ^q

a daughter opposes her mother,

and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;

a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

⁷But I will look to the Lord; ^r

I will wait for the God of my salvation. ^s

My God will hear me. ^t

Zion’s Vindication

⁸Do not rejoice over me, ^umy enemy!

Though I have fallen, I will stand up; ^v

though I sit in darkness,

the Lord will be my light. ^w

⁹Because I have sinned against Him,

I must endure the Lord’s rage

until He argues my case ^x

and establishes justice for me. ^y

He will bring me into the light; ^z

I will see His salvation. ^ab

¹⁰Then my enemy will see,

and she will be covered with shame,

the one who said to me,

“Where is the Lord your God?” ^c

My eyes will look at her in triumph;

at that time she will be trampled

like mud in the streets. ^d

¹¹A day will come for rebuilding your walls; ^e

on that day your boundary will be extended. ^f

¹²On that day people will come to you ^g

from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,

even from Egypt to the Euphrates River

and from sea to sea

and mountain to mountain.

¹³Then the earth will become a wasteland ^h

because of its inhabitants

and as a result of their actions. ⁱ

Micah’s Prayer Answered

¹⁴Shepherd Your people ^jwith Your staff, ^k

the flock that is Your possession.

They live alone ^lin a woodland

surrounded by pastures.

Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead ^m

as in ancient times. ⁿ

¹⁵I will perform miracles for them ^o

as in the days of your exodus

from the land of Egypt. ^p

¹⁶Nations will see and be ashamed

of ^qall their power.

They will put their hands over their mouths, ^r

and their ears will become deaf.

¹⁷They will lick the dust like a snake; ^s

they will come trembling out of their hiding places ^t

like reptiles slithering on the ground. ^u

They will tremble in the presence of Yahweh our God; ^v

they will stand in awe of You.

¹⁸Who is a God like You, ^w

removing iniquity and passing over rebellion ^x

for the remnant of His inheritance? ^y

He does not hold on to His anger forever, ^z

because He delights in faithful love. ^a

¹⁹He will again have compassion on us;

He will vanquish our iniquities. ^b

You will cast all our ^csins

into the depths of the sea. ^d

²⁰You will show loyalty to Jacob ^e

and faithful love to Abraham,

as You swore to our fathers ^f

from days long ago.