God’s Indictment of His People
1 Hear now what the Lordis saying,
“Arise, plead your case 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 Lordhas 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,
Andfrom Shittim to Gilgal,
So that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
What God Requires of Man
6 With what shall I come to the Lord
Andbow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Does the Lordtake delight in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstbornformy 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 Lordrequire of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
9 The voice of the Lordwill call to the city-
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time?
10 “Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along withtreasures of wickedness
And a short measurethat iscursed?
11 “Can I justify wicked scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 “For the rich men ofthecity are full of violence,
Her residents speak lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “So also I will makeyousick, striking you down,
Desolatingyoubecause of your sins.
14 “You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,
# And yourvileness will be in your midst.
You willtry toremovefor safekeeping,
But you will not preserveanything,
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 your inhabitants for derision,
And you will bear the reproach of My people.”
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/MIC/6-8ad9ce3443d0aa1f5f190fca690efe55.mp3?version_id=100—