Micah
Select chapter 6

Micah 6

God’s Indictment of His People

1Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case [a]before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 “Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the Lord,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
Because the Lord has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.
3 “My people, what have I done to you,
And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 “Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
5 “My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from Shittim to Gilgal,
So [b]that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

What God Requires of Man

6 With what shall I come to the Lord
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love [c]kindness,
And to walk [d]humbly with your God?

9 The voice of the Lord will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed [e]its time?
10 “Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of wickedness
And a [f]short measure that is cursed?
11 “Can I justify wicked scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 “For the rich men of the [g]city are full of violence,
Her residents speak lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “So also I will make you sick, striking you down,
Desolating you because of your sins.
14 “You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,
And your [h]vileness will be in your midst.
You will try to remove for safekeeping,
But you will not preserve anything,
And what you do preserve I will give to the sword.
15 “You will sow but you will not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will not drink wine.
16 “The statutes of Omri
And all the works of the house of Ahab are observed;
And in their devices you walk.
Therefore I will give you up for destruction
And [i]your inhabitants for derision,
And you will bear the reproach of My people.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:1 Lit with
  2. Micah 6:5 Lit to know
  3. Micah 6:8 Or loyalty
  4. Micah 6:8 Or circumspectly
  5. Micah 6:9 Lit it
  6. Micah 6:10 Lit shrunken ephah
  7. Micah 6:12 Lit her
  8. Micah 6:14 Or possibly garbage or excreta
  9. Micah 6:16 Lit her
Micah 6