God Pleads with Israel
Hear now what the Lord says:
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 aHear, O you mountains, bthe Lord’s complaint,
And you strong foundations of the earth;
For cthe Lord has a complaint against His people,
And He will contend with Israel.
3 “O My people, what ahave I done to you?
And how have I bwearied you?
Testify against Me.
4 aFor I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the house of bondage;
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O My people, remember now
What aBalak king of Moab counseled,
And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
From Acacia Grove to Gilgal,
That you may know bthe righteousness of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before the Lord,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
7 aWill the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand brivers of oil?
cShall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has ashown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But bto do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Punishment of Israel’s Injustice
9 The Lord’s voice cries to the city—
Wisdom shall see Your name:
“Hear the rod!
Who has appointed it?
10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness
In the house of the wicked,
And the short measure that is an abomination?
11 Shall I count pure those with athe wicked scales,
And with the bag of deceitful weights?
12 For her rich men are full of aviolence,
Her inhabitants have spoken lies,
And btheir tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “Therefore I will also amake you sick by striking you,
By making you desolate because of your sins.
14 aYou shall eat, but not be satisfied;
Hunger shall be in your midst.
You may carry some away, but shall not save them;
And what you do rescue I will give over to the sword.
15 “You shall asow, but not reap;
You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.
16 For the statutes of aOmri are bkept;
All the works of Ahab’s house are done;
And you walk in their counsels,
That I may make you a desolation,
And your inhabitants a hissing.
Therefore you shall bear the creproach of My people.”
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved.