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The Lord Brings Charges Against Israel
6 Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. He says to me,
“Stand up in court.
Let the mountains serve as witnesses.
Let the hills hear what you have to say.”
2 Hear the Lord’s case, you mountains.
Listen, you age-old foundations of the earth.
The Lord has a case against his people Israel.
He is bringing charges against them.
“My people, what have I done to you?
Have I made things too hard for you? Answer me.
4 I brought your people up out of Egypt.
I set them free from the land
where they were slaves.
I sent Moses to lead them.
Aaron and Miriam helped him.
5 Remember how Balak, the king of Moab,
planned to put a curse on your people.
But Balaam, the son of Beor,
gave them a blessing instead.
Remember their journey from Shittim to Gilgal.
I want you to know
that I always do what is right.”
“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?
7 Will 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?”
8 The 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
9 The 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.
10 You 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.
11 Should I forgive you who use dishonest scales?
You use weights that weigh things heavier
or lighter than they really are.
12 The rich people among you harm others.
You are always telling lies.
You try to fool others by what you say.
I will destroy you
because you have sinned so much.
14 You will eat. But you will not be satisfied.
Your stomachs will still be empty.
You will try to save what you can.
But you will not be able to.
If you do save something,
it will be destroyed in battle.
But you will not harvest any crops.
You will press olives.
But you will not use the oil for yourselves.
You will crush grapes.
But you will not drink the wine
that is made from them.
16 You have followed the evil practices
of King Omri of Israel.
You have done what the family
of King Ahab did.
You have followed their bad example.
So I will let you be destroyed.
Others will make fun of you.
The nations will laugh at you.”
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About New International Reader’s Version (1998)The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God. |
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