Micah 6
New American Standard Bible 1995
God’s Indictment of His People
6 Hear 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 (A)foundations of the earth,
Because the (B)Lord has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will dispute.
3 “(C)My people, (D)what have I done to you,
And (E)how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 “Indeed, I (F)brought you up from the land of Egypt
And (G)ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you (H)Moses, Aaron and (I)Miriam.
5 “My people, remember now
What (J)Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from (K)Shittim to (L)Gilgal,
So [b]that you might know the (M)righteous acts of the Lord.”
What God Requires of Man
6 (N)With what shall I come to the Lord
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with (O)burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the Lord take delight in (P)thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my (Q)firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has (R)told you, O man, what is good;
And (S)what does the Lord require of you
But to (T)do justice, to (U)love [c]kindness,
And to walk [d](V)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 (W)wickedness
And a [f](X)short measure that is cursed?
11 “Can I justify wicked (Y)scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 “For the rich men of the [g]city are full of (Z)violence,
Her residents speak (AA)lies,
And their (AB)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “So also I will make you (AC)sick, striking you down,
(AD)Desolating you because of your sins.
14 “You will eat, but you will (AE)not be satisfied,
And your [h]vileness will be in your midst.
You will try to remove for safekeeping,
But you will (AF)not preserve anything,
And what you do preserve I will give to the sword.
15 “You will sow but you will (AG)not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will (AH)not drink wine.
16 “The statutes of (AI)Omri
And all the works of the house of (AJ)Ahab are observed;
And in their devices you (AK)walk.
Therefore I will give you up for (AL)destruction
And [i]your inhabitants for (AM)derision,
And you will bear the (AN)reproach of My people.”
Footnotes
- Micah 6:1 Lit with
- Micah 6:5 Lit to know
- Micah 6:8 Or loyalty
- Micah 6:8 Or circumspectly
- Micah 6:9 Lit it
- Micah 6:10 Lit shrunken ephah
- Micah 6:12 Lit her
- Micah 6:14 Or possibly garbage or excreta
- Micah 6:16 Lit her
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.