Micah 6:1-9
Micah 6:1-9 The Message (MSG)
Listen now, listen to GOD: “Take your stand in court. If you have a complaint, tell the mountains; make your case to the hills. And now, Mountains, hear GOD’s case; listen, Jury Earth— For I am bringing charges against my people. I am building a case against Israel. “Dear people, how have I done you wrong? Have I burdened you, worn you out? Answer! I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt; I paid a good price to get you out of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you— and Aaron and Miriam to boot! Remember what Balak king of Moab tried to pull, and how Balaam son of Beor turned the tables on him. Remember all those stories about Shittim and Gilgal. Keep all GOD’s salvation stories fresh and present.” How can I stand up before GOD and show proper respect to the high God? Should I bring an armload of offerings topped off with yearling calves? Would GOD be impressed with thousands of rams, with buckets and barrels of olive oil? Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child, my precious baby, to cancel my sin? * * * But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what GOD is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously. Attention! GOD calls out to the city! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen. So listen, all of you! This is serious business. * * *
Micah 6:1-9 King James Version (KJV)
Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD. Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? The LORD's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
Micah 6:1-9 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
Hear now what the LORD is saying, “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice. Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD, And you enduring foundations of the earth, Because the LORD has a case against His people; Even with Israel He will dispute. My people, what have I done to you, And how have I wearied you? Answer Me. 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. My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled And what Balaam son of Beor answered him, And from Shittim to Gilgal, So that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD.” With 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? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? The voice of the LORD will call to the city— And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name: “Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time?
Micah 6:1-9 New Century Version (NCV)
Now hear what the LORD says: “Get up; plead your case in front of the mountains; let the hills hear your story. Mountains, listen to the LORD’s legal case. Foundations of the earth, listen. The LORD has a legal case against his people, and he will accuse Israel.” He says, “My people, what did I do to you? How did I make you tired of me? Tell me. I brought you from the land of Egypt and freed you from slavery; I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to you. My people, remember the evil plans of Balak king of Moab and what Balaam son of Beor told Balak. Remember what happened from Acacia to Gilgal so that you will know the LORD does what is right!” You say, “What can I bring with me when I come before the LORD, when I bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Will the LORD be pleased with a thousand male sheep? Will he be pleased with ten thousand rivers of oil? Should I give my first child for the evil I have done? Should I give my very own child for my sin?” The LORD has told you, human, what is good; he has told you what he wants from you: to do what is right to other people, love being kind to others, and live humbly, obeying your God. The voice of the LORD calls to the city, and the wise person honors him. So pay attention to the rod of punishment; pay attention to the One who threatens to punish.
Micah 6:1-9 American Standard Version (ASV)
Hear ye now what Jehovah saith: Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear, O ye mountains, Jehovah’s controversy, and ye enduring foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; remember from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteous acts of Jehovah. Wherewith shall I come before Jehovah, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old? will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God? The voice of Jehovah crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom will see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
Micah 6:1-9 New International Version (NIV)
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 humbly with your God. Listen! The LORD is calling to the city— and to fear your name is wisdom— “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.
Micah 6:1-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice. Hear, O you mountains, the LORD’s complaint, And you strong foundations of the earth; For the LORD has a complaint against His people, And He will contend with Israel. “O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me. For 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. O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know the righteousness of the LORD.” 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? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? The LORD’s voice cries to the city— Wisdom shall see Your name: “Hear the rod! Who has appointed it?
Micah 6:1-9 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Hear now what the LORD is saying, “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills [as witnesses] hear your voice. “Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the LORD, And you enduring foundations of the earth, For the LORD has a case (a legal complaint) against His people, And He will dispute (challenge) Israel. “O My people, what have I done to you [since you have turned away from Me]? And how have I wearied you? Answer Me. “For I brought you up from the land of Egypt And ransomed you from the house of slavery, And I sent before you Moses [to lead you], Aaron [the high priest], and Miriam [the prophetess]. “My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab devised [with his evil plan against Israel] And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him [turning the curse into blessing for Israel], [Remember what the LORD did for you] from Shittim to Gilgal, So that you may know the righteous and saving acts [displaying the power] of the LORD.” [Num 23:7-24; 24:3-24; Josh 3:1; 4:19] ¶With what shall I come before the LORD [to honor Him] And bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Will the LORD be delighted with thousands of rams, Or with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my acts of rebellion, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]? [Deut 10:12, 13] ¶The voice of the LORD shall call to the city [of Jerusalem]— And it is sound wisdom to heed [solemnly] and fear Your name [with awe-filled reverence]; “Hear, O tribe [the rod of punishment]. Who has appointed its time?
Micah 6:1-9 New Living Translation (NLT)
Listen to what the LORD is saying: “Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints. And now, O mountains, listen to the LORD’s complaint! He has a case against his people. He will bring charges against Israel. “O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me! For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, when I, the LORD, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.” What can we bring to the LORD? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Fear the LORD if you are wise! His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem: “The armies of destruction are coming; the LORD is sending them.
Micah 6:1-9 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Now listen to what YAHWEH says: “Stand up and state your case. The mountains will be your witnesses, so let the hills hear your defense. Listen, mountains, to YAHWEH’s accusation; pay attention, you enduring foundations of the earth, for I, YAHWEH, have an indictment against my people, and I will prosecute my case against Israel. My people, what have I done to deserve your neglect? How have I made you tired of me? Answer me! Did I not rescue you from Egypt and ransom you from slavery? I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. Please remember this, my people: King Balak of Moab planned to curse you, and how did the prophet Balaam son of Beor answer him? He spoke YAHWEH’s blessing over you! Remember how I parted the Jordan so that you could cross over from Acacia to Gilgal. Now you should know through all my saving acts that I have treated you fairly.” What should I bring when I enter YAHWEH’s presence and bow down before God Most High? Should I approach him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves to sacrifice? Will he be pleased with thousands of rams and with endless streams of olive oil? Should I offer him my firstborn for my wrongdoing, my own offspring for the sins of my life? No! Listen, O Adam’s offspring, YAHWEH has made it plain to you what is best. He has shown you what he really is longing for from you— only to promote justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. YAHWEH YAHWEH’s voice is calling out to the city. Wise is the one who fears the name of YAHWEH. “So pay attention, O tribe, to the one who called you together!
Micah 6:1-9 English Standard Version Revision 2016 (ESV)
Hear what the LORD says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the 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. “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.” LORD “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? The voice of the LORD cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear your name: “Hear of the rod and of him who appointed it!