Micah 6:6–13

⁶The people of Israel say,

“What should we bring with us

when we go to worship the Lord?

What should we offer the God of heaven

when we bow down to him?

Should we take burnt offerings to him?

Should we sacrifice calves

that are a year old?

⁷Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams?

Will he take delight in 10,000 rivers of olive oil?

Should we offer our oldest sons

for the wrong things we’ve done?

Should we sacrifice our own children

to pay for our sins?”

⁸The Lord has shown you what is good.

He has told you what he requires of you.

You must treat people fairly.

You must love others faithfully.

And you must be very careful to live

the way your God wants you to.

The Lord Will Punish His People

⁹The Lord is calling out to Jerusalem.

And it would be wise to pay attention to him.

He says, “Listen, tribe of Judah

and you people who are gathered in the city.

¹⁰You sinful people, should I forget

that you got your treasures by stealing them?

You use dishonest measures to cheat others.

I have placed a curse on that practice.

¹¹Should I forgive you who use dishonest scales?

You use weights that weigh things heavier

or lighter than they really are.

¹²The rich people among you harm others.

You are always telling lies.

You try to fool others by what you say.

¹³So I will strike you down.

I will destroy you

because you have sinned so much.