Micah 6

God's Indictment of His People

1 Hear now what the LORD is 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 LORD has 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,
And from 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
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?

7 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?

8 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?

9 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?

10 "Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of wickedness
And a short measure that is cursed?

11 "Can I justify wicked scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?

12 "For the rich men of the city are full of violence,
Her residents speak lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

13 "So also I will make you sick, striking you down,
Desolating you because of your sins.

14 "You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,
And your tvileness will be in your midst.
You will try to remove for safekeeping,
But you will not preserve anything,
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."

Micah 7

The Prophet Acknowledges

1 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a first-ripe fig which I crave.

2 The godly person has perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a net.

3 Concerning evil, both hands do it well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.

4 The best of them is like a briar,
The most upright like a thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your punishment will come.
Then their confusion will occur.

5 Do not trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard your lips.

6 For son treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man's enemies are the men of his own household.

God Is the Source of Salvation and Light

7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD;
I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me.

8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.
Though I fall I will rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.

9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the light,
And I will see His righteousness.

10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who said to me,
"Where is the LORD your God?"
My eyes will look on her;
At that time she will be trampled down
Like mire of the streets.

11  It will be a day for building your walls.
On that day will your boundary be extended.

12 It will be a day when they will come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the Euphrates,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.

13 And the earth will become desolate because of her inhabitants,
On account of the fruit of their deeds.

14 Shepherd Your people with Your scepter,
The flock of Your possession
Which dwells by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of a fruitful field.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
As in the days of old.

15 "As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I will show you miracles."

16 Nations will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.

17 They will lick the dust like a serpent,
Like reptiles of the earth.
They will come trembling out of their fortresses;
To the LORD our God they will come in dread
And they will be afraid before You.

18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in unchanging love.

19 He will again have compassion on us;
He will tread our iniquities under foot.
Yes, You will cast all their sins
Into the depths of the sea.

20 You will give truth to Jacob
And unchanging love to Abraham,
Which You swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.

Nahum 1

God Is Awesome

1 The toracle of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD;
The LORD is avenging and wrathful.
The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies.

3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In whirlwind and storm is His way,
And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
He dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
The blossoms of Lebanon wither.

5 Mountains quake because of Him
And the hills dissolve;
Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence,
The world and all the inhabitants in it.

6 Who can stand before His indignation?
Who can endure the burning of His anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire
And the rocks are broken up by Him.

7 The LORD is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble,
And He knows those who take refuge in Him.

8 But with an overflowing flood
He will make a complete end of its site,
And will pursue His enemies into darkness.

9 Whatever you devise against the LORD,
He will make a complete end of it.
Distress will not rise up twice.

10 Like tangled thorns,
And like those who are drunken with their drink,
They are consumed
As stubble completely withered.

11 From you has gone forth
One who plotted evil against the LORD,
A wicked counselor.12 Thus says the LORD,
"Though they are at full strength and likewise many,
Even so, they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no longer.

13 "So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you,
And I will tear off your shackles."

14 The LORD has issued a command concerning you:
"Your name will no longer be perpetuated.
I will cut off idol and image
From the house of your gods.
I will prepare your grave,
For you are contemptible."

15 Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace!
Celebrate your feasts, O Judah;
Pay your vows.
For never again will the wicked one pass through you;
He is cut off completely.