Michaeas 6

1 Hear now a word: the Lord God has said; Arise, plead with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

Hear now what the Lord is saying: Arise, present your complaint before the mountains, let the hills hear your voice!

2 Hear you, O mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and [you] valleys [even] the foundations of the earth: for the Lord [has] a controversy with his people, and will plead with Israel.

Hear, mountains, the Lord’s accusation, listen, foundations of the earth. For the Lord has a case against his people. He has a dispute with Israel.

3 O my people, what have I done to you? or wherein have I grieved you? or wherein have I troubled you? answer me.

“My people, what have I done to you. How have I displeased you? Answer me!

4 For I brought tee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, and sent before you Moses, and Aaron, and Mariam.

For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, from the land of slavery I redeemed you. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.

5 O my people, remember now, what counsel Balac king of Moab took against you, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from the reeds to Galgal; that the righteousness of the Lord might be known.

My people, what did Balak, king of Moab counsel? And how did Balaam, the son of Beor, answer him? Remember now the journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you might realize the just deeds of the Lord.”

6 Wherewithal shall I reach the Lord, [and] lay hold of my God most high? shall I reach him by whole burnt offerings, by calves of a year old?

With what should I come before the Lord? Bow myself before the God on high? Should I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old?

7 Will the Lord accept thousands of rams, or ten thousands of fat goats? should I give my firstborn for ungodliness, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, With ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give him my firstborn son for my guilt, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 Has it [not] been told you, O man, what [is] good? or what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and love mercy, and be ready to walk with the Lord your God?

The Lord has told you what is good, what he demands of you: Only to do justice and love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

9 The Lord's voice shall be proclaimed in the city, and he shall save those that fear his name: hear, O tribe; and who shall order the city?

Listen! The Lord calls to the city! Listen, tribe and assembly of the city!

10 [Is there] not fire, and the house of the wicked heaping up wicked treasures, and [that] with the pride of unrighteousness?

“Can I forget the hoarded treasures in the houses of the wicked, and the accursed scant measure?

11 Shall the wicked be justified by the balanced, or deceitful weights in the bag,

Can I leave her unpunished because of evil scales, and the bag of false weights?

12 whereby they have accumulated their ungodly wealth, and they that dwell in the city have uttered falsehoods, and their tongue has been exalted in their mouth?

Whose rich people are full of violence, her inhabitants liars, whose tongues speak deceit?

13 Therefore will I begin to strike you; I will destroy you in your sins.

“But I indeed, have begun to punish you, to lay you in ruins because of your sins.

14 You shall eat, and shall not be satisfied; and there shall be darkness upon you; and he shall depart from [you], and you shall not escape; and all that shall escape shall be delivered over to the sword.

You will eat but not be satisfied, your stomach empty within you. You will store up but lose everything, because whatever you save I will give to the sword.

15 You shall sow, but you shall not reap; you shall press the olive, but you shall not anoint yourself with oil; and [shall make] wine, but you shall drink no wine: and the ordinances of my people shall be utterly abolished.

You will sow but not reap. You will tread the olives but have no oil for rubbing, tread grapes but drink no wine!

16 For you have kept the statues of Zambri, and [done] all the works of the house of Achaab; and you have walked in their ways, that I might deliver you to utter destruction, and those that inhabit the city to hissing: and you shall bear the reproach of nations.

“For you have followed the commands of Omri, and all the practices of the house of Ahab. You have acted in accord with their counsels, so I will give you up to ruin, the city’s inhabitants to derision. The nations will treat you with contempt!”