Micah 6:1-7:7 NIV

Micah 6:1-7:7

The Lord’s Case Against Israel

Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;

let the hills hear what you have to say.

“Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;

listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.

For the Lord has a case against his people;

he is lodging a charge against Israel.

“My people, what have I done to you?

How have I burdened you? Answer me.

I brought you up out of Egypt

and redeemed you from the land of slavery.

I sent Moses to lead you,

also Aaron and Miriam.

My people, remember

what Balak king of Moab plotted

and what Balaam son of Beor answered.

Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,

that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly6:8 Or prudently with your God.

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—

and to fear your name is wisdom—

“Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,

and the short ephah,6:10 An ephah was a dry measure. which is accursed?

Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,

with a bag of false weights?

Your rich people are violent;

your inhabitants are liars

and their tongues speak deceitfully.

Therefore, I have begun to destroy you,

to ruin6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin you because of your sins.

You will eat but not be satisfied;

your stomach will still be empty.6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

You will store up but save nothing,

because what you save6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth I will give to the sword.

You will plant but not harvest;

you will press olives but not use the oil,

you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.

You have observed the statutes of Omri

and all the practices of Ahab’s house;

you have followed their traditions.

Therefore I will give you over to ruin

and your people to derision;

you will bear the scorn of the nations.6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people”

Israel’s Misery

What misery is mine!

I am like one who gathers summer fruit

at the gleaning of the vineyard;

there is no cluster of grapes to eat,

none of the early figs that I crave.

The faithful have been swept from the land;

not one upright person remains.

Everyone lies in wait to shed blood;

they hunt each other with nets.

Both hands are skilled in doing evil;

the ruler demands gifts,

the judge accepts bribes,

the powerful dictate what they desire—

they all conspire together.

The best of them is like a brier,

the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.

The day God visits you has come,

the day your watchmen sound the alarm.

Now is the time of your confusion.

Do not trust a neighbor;

put no confidence in a friend.

Even with the woman who lies in your embrace

guard the words of your lips.

For a son dishonors his father,

a daughter rises up against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,

I wait for God my Savior;

my God will hear me.

Read More of Micah 6