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Hear ye which things the Lord speaketh. Rise thou, strive thou by doom against mountains, and little hills hear thy voice. (Listen ye to what the Lord saith. Rise thou, state thy case to the mountains, and let the little hills hear thy voice.)

Mountains and the strong foundaments of earth, hear the doom of the Lord; for the doom of the Lord shall be with his people, and he shall be deemed with Israel. (O mountains and the strong foundations of the earth, listen to the Lord’s case; for the Lord hath a case against his people, and he shall judge Israel.)

My people, what have I done to thee, either (in) what was I grievous to thee? Answer thou to me. (My people, what have I done to thee, or how have I grieved thee? Answer thou me.)

For I led thee out of the land of Egypt, and of the house of servage I delivered thee; and I sent before thy face Moses, and Aaron, and Mary. (For I led thee out of the land of Egypt, and I brought thee out of the house of servitude, or of slavery; and I sent thee Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam.)

My people, bethink, I pray, what Balak, king of Moab, thought, and what Balaam, son of Beor, of Shittim, answered to him till to Gilgal, that thou shouldest know the rightwiseness of the Lord. (My people, remember, I pray thee, what Balak, the king of Moab, thought, or planned, to do against you, and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered to him; remember the journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that thou shalt know the Lord’s righteousness.)

What worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord? shall I bow the knee to the high God? Whether shall I offer to him brunt sacrifices, and calves of one year? (What worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord? shall I bow my knee to the Most High God? Shall I offer him burnt sacrifices, and one year old calves?)

Whether God may be satisfied in thousands of wethers, either in many thousands of fat goat bucks? Whether I shall give my first begotten for my great trespass, the fruit of my womb for sin of my soul? (Can God truly be satisfied even with thousands of rams, or with many thousands of fat goat bucks? Shall I give my first begotten son for my great trespass, yea, the fruit of my womb for the sin of my soul?)

I shall show to thee, thou man, what is good, and what the Lord asketh of thee; forsooth for to do doom, and for to love mercy, and be busy for to walk with thy God. (I shall tell thee, ye people, what is good, and what the Lord asketh of thee; and that is, to act rightly, or with justice, and to love mercy/and to love mercifully, and to be busy, or committed, to walk with thy God.)

The voice of the Lord crieth to the city, and health shall be to all men dreading thy name. Ye lineages, hear; and who shall approve it? (The voice of the Lord crieth to the city, and success, or victory, shall be for all those who fear his name/for all those who revere his name. Listen, ye tribes, to him who hath gathered thee together/Listen, ye tribes, all ye who gather together in the city.)

10 Yet fire is in the house of unpious men, the treasures of wickedness, and a less measure, (which make me) full of wrath. (Yet in the house of the unrighteous, or of the wicked, there is fire, yea, the treasures of wickedness, and a false measure, which make me very angry.)

11 Whether I shall justify the wicked balance, and the guileful weights of a little sack, (Can I justify a wicked, or a false, balance, and a bag of deceitful weights,)

12 in which rich men thereof be filled with wickedness? And men dwelling therein spake leasing, and the tongue of them was guileful in the mouth of them. (in which the rich there be filled with wickedness? And those living there spoke lies, and their tongues were deceitful in their mouths.)

13 And I therefore began for to smite thee, in(to) perdition on thy sins. (And so I began to strike thee down unto perdition, for thy sins.)

14 Thou shalt eat, and shalt not be [ful]filled, and thy meeking is in the middle of thee (and thy humbling is in thy midst); and thou shalt take (hold), and shalt not save; and (that) which thou shalt save, I shall give into (the) sword.

15 Thou shalt sow, and shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olive, and shalt not be anointed with oil; and (make) must, and shalt not drink (the) wine.

16 And thou keptest the behests of Omri, and all the work of the house of Ahab, and hast walked in the lusts of them, that I should give thee into perdition, and men dwelling in it into hissing, either scorning, and ye shall bear the shame of my people. (And thou hast followed the ways of Omri, and all the work of the house of Ahab, and hast walked in their lusts, so that now I shall give thee unto perdition, and the people living there unto hissing, or mocking, and ye shall bear the shame of my people.)

The Lord’s Case Against Israel

Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;(A)
    let the hills hear what you have to say.

“Hear,(B) you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;(C)
    listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case(D) against his people;
    he is lodging a charge(E) against Israel.

“My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened(F) you?(G) Answer me.
I brought you up out of Egypt(H)
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.(I)
I sent Moses(J) to lead you,
    also Aaron(K) and Miriam.(L)
My people, remember
    what Balak(M) king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim(N) to Gilgal,(O)
    that you may know the righteous acts(P) of the Lord.”

With what shall I come before(Q) the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?(R)
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(S)
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(T)
Shall I offer my firstborn(U) for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(V)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(W) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a](X) with your God.(Y)

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
    and to fear your name is wisdom—
    “Heed the rod(Z) and the One who appointed it.[b]
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
    and the short ephah,[c] which is accursed?(AA)
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,(AB)
    with a bag of false weights?(AC)
12 Your rich people are violent;(AD)
    your inhabitants are liars(AE)
    and their tongues speak deceitfully.(AF)
13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy(AG) you,
    to ruin[d] you because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;(AH)
    your stomach will still be empty.[e]
You will store up but save nothing,(AI)
    because what you save[f] I will give to the sword.
15 You will plant but not harvest;(AJ)
    you will press olives but not use the oil,
    you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.(AK)
16 You have observed the statutes of Omri(AL)
    and all the practices of Ahab’s(AM) house;
    you have followed their traditions.(AN)
Therefore I will give you over to ruin(AO)
    and your people to derision;
    you will bear the scorn(AP) of the nations.[g]

Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:8 Or prudently
  2. Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  3. Micah 6:10 An ephah was a dry measure.
  4. Micah 6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin
  5. Micah 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  6. Micah 6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth
  7. Micah 6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people