The Indictment of the Lord
aHear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 aHear, you mountains, bthe indictment of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
3 “O my people, awhat have I done to you?
bHow have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For aI brought you up from the land of Egypt
and bredeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and cMiriam.
5 O my people, remember awhat Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from bShittim to Gilgal,
that you may know cthe righteous acts of the Lord.”
What Does the Lord Require?
6 a“With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before bGod on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 aWill the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
bShall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
and awhat does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to bwalk humbly with your God?
Destruction of the Wicked
9 The voice of the Lord cries to the city—
and it is sound wisdom to fear ayour name:
“Hear of bthe rod and of him who appointed it!
10 Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
and the scant measure that is accursed?
11 Shall I acquit the man awith wicked scales
and with a bag of deceitful weights?
12 Your rich men are afull of violence;
your inhabitants bspeak lies,
and ctheir tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,
amaking you desolate because of your sins.
14 aYou shall eat, but not be satisfied,
and there shall be hunger within you;
you shall put away, but not preserve,
and what you preserve I will give to the sword.
15 aYou shall sow, but not reap;
you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
16 For you have kept the statutes of aOmri,
and all the works of the house of bAhab;
and you have walked in their counsels,
that I may make you ca desolation, and your inhabitants ca hissing;
so you shall bear dthe scorn of my people.”