Micah 6:1–7:10
God’s Indictment of His People
1 Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case 1before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring afoundations of the earth,
Because the bLord has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.
3 “aMy people, bwhat have I done to you,
And chow have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 “Indeed, I abrought you up from the land of Egypt
And bransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you cMoses, Aaron and dMiriam.
What aBalak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
So 1that you might know the drighteous acts of the Lord.”
6 aWith what shall I come to the Lord
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with bburnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the Lord take delight in athousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my bfirstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has atold you, O man, what is good;
And bwhat does the Lord require of you
But to cdo justice, to dlove 1kindness,
And to walk 2ehumbly 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 1its time?
10 “Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of awickedness
And a 1bshort measure that is cursed?
11 “Can I justify wicked ascales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 “For the rich men of the 1city are full of aviolence,
Her residents speak blies,
And their ctongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “So also I will make you asick, striking you down,
bDesolating you because of your sins.
14 “You will eat, but you will anot be satisfied,
And your 1vileness will be in your midst.
You will try to remove for safekeeping,
But you will bnot preserve anything,
And what you do preserve I will give to the sword.
15 “You will sow but you will anot reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will bnot drink wine.
16 “The statutes of aOmri
And all the works of the house of bAhab are observed;
And in their devices you cwalk.
Therefore I will give you up for ddestruction
And 1your inhabitants for ederision,
And you will bear the freproach of My people.”
1 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the agrape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a bfirst-ripe fig which 1I crave.
2 The 1godly person has aperished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for bbloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a cnet.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it awell.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a bbribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a abriar,
The most upright like a bthorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your cpunishment will come.
Then their dconfusion will occur.
5 Do not atrust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard 1your lips.
6 For ason treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
bA man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
7 But as for me, I will awatch expectantly for the Lord;
I will bwait for the God of my salvation.
My cGod will hear me.
8 aDo not rejoice over me, O bmy enemy.
Though I fall I will crise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a dlight for me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He apleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the blight,
And I will see His 1crighteousness.
And shame will cover her who asaid to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look on her;
1At that time she will 2be btrampled down
Like mire of the streets.