Micah 6
1 Here ye whiche thingis the Lord spekith. Rise thou, stryue thou bi doom ayens mounteyns, and litle hillis here thi vois.
Hear now what the Lord is saying: Arise, present your complaint before the mountains, let the hills hear your voice!
2 Mounteyns, and the stronge foundementis of erthe, here the doom of the Lord; for the doom of the Lord with his puple, and he schal be demyd 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 Mi puple, what haue Y don to thee, ether what was Y greuouse to thee? Answere thou to me.
‘My people, what have I done to you. How have I displeased you? Answer me!
4 For Y ledde thee out of the lond of Egipt, and of the hous of seruage Y delyuerede thee; and Y sente bifore thi face Moises, and Aaron, and Marye.
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 My puple, bithenke, Y preie, what Balaac, kyng of Moab, thouyte, and what Balaam, sone of Beor, of Sethym, answeride to hym til to Galgala, that thou schuldist knowe the riytwisnesse of the Lord.
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 realise the just deeds of the Lord.’
6 What worthi thing schal Y offre to the Lord? schal Y bowe the knee to the hiye God? Whether Y schal offre to hym brent sacrifices, and calues of o yeer?
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 Whether God mai be paid in thousyndis of wetheris, ether in many thousyndis of fatte geet buckis? Whether Y schal yyue my firste bigetun for my greet trespas, the fruyt of my wombe for synne of my soule?
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 Y schal schewe to thee, thou man, what is good, and what the Lord axith of thee; forsothe for to do doom, and for to loue merci, and be bisi for to walke with thi 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 vois of the Lord crieth to the citee, and heelthe schal be to alle men dredynge thi name. Ye lynagis, here; and who schal approue it?
Listen! The Lord calls to the city! Listen, tribe and assembly of the city!
10 Yit fier is in the hous of the vnpitouse man, the tresouris of wickidnesse, and a lesse mesure ful of wraththe.
‘Can I forget the hoarded treasures in the houses of the wicked, and the accursed scant measure?
11 Whether Y schal iustifie the wickid balaunce, and the gileful weiytis of litil sak,
Can I leave her unpunished because of evil scales, and the bag of false weights?
12 in whiche riche men therof ben fillid with wickidnesse? And men dwellynge ther ynne spaken leesyng, and the tunge of hem was gileful in the mouth of hem.
Whose rich people are full of violence, her inhabitants liars, whose tongues speak deceit?
13 And Y therfor bigan for to smyte thee, in perdicioun on thi synnes.
‘But I indeed, have begun to punish you, to lay you in ruins because of your sins.
14 Thou schalt ete, and schalt not be fillid, and thi mekyng is in the middil of thee; and thou schalt take, and schalt not saue; and which thou schalt saue, Y schal yyue in to swerd.
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 Thou schalt sowe, and schal not repe; thou schalt trede the `frut of oliue, and schalt not be anoyntid with oile; and must, and schalt not drynke wyn.
You will sow but not reap. You will tread the olives but have no oil for rubbing, tread grapes but drink no wine!
16 And thou keptist the heestis of Amry, and al the werk of the hous of Acab, and hast walkid in the lustis of hem, that Y schulde yyue thee in to perdicioun, and men dwellynge in it in to scornyng, and ye schulen bere the schenschipe of my puple.
‘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!’
