Aa
God’s Indictment of His People
1Hear now what the Lord is saying,
“Arise, plead your case Lit withbefore the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2Listen, you mountains, to the indictment by the Lord,
And you enduring foundations of the earth,
Because the Lord has a case against His people;
And He will dispute with Israel.
3My people, what have I done to you,
And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab planned
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
Lit In order to know So that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
What God Requires of Mankind
6With 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?
7Does the Lord take pleasure in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of I.e., olive oiloil?
Shall I give Him my firstborn for my wrongdoings,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has told you, mortal one, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love Or loyaltykindness,
And to walk Or circumspectlyhumbly with your God?
9The voice of the Lord will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
Or Hear about the rod and who designated itHear, you tribe. Who has designated Lit itits time?
10Is there still a person in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of wickedness,
And a Lit shrunken ephahshort measure that is cursed?
11Can I justify dishonest balances,
And a bag of fraudulent weights?
12For the rich people of Lit her arethe city are full of violence,
Her residents speak lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13So also I will make you sick, striking you down,
Making you desolate because of your sins.
14You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,
And your filth will be in your midst.
You will try to remove valuables for safekeeping,
But you will not save it all,
And what you do save I will turn over to the sword.
15You will sow but you will not harvest.
You will tread the olive press but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And tread out sweet wine, but you will not drink any wine.
16The statutes of Omri
And every work of the house of Ahab are maintained,
And you walk by their plans.
Therefore I will give you up for destruction,
And Lit heryour inhabitants for Lit whistling (in mockery)derision,
And you will suffer the taunting of My people.”