The Case against Israel

1Hear, I pray you, that which Jehovah is saying: ‘Rise — strive thou with the mountains, And cause thou the hills to hear thy voice.’

2Hear, O mountains, the strife of Jehovah, Ye strong ones — foundations of earth! For a strife [is] to Jehovah, with His people, And with Israel He doth reason.

3O My people, what have I done to thee? And what — have I wearied thee? Testify against Me.

4For I brought thee up from the land of Egypt, And from the house of servants I have ransomed thee, And I send before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

5O My people, remember, I pray you, What counsel did Balak king of Moab, What answer him did Balaam son of Beor, (From Shittim unto Gilgal,) In order to know the righteous acts of Jehovah.’

6With what do I come before Jehovah? Do I bow to God Most High? Do I come before Him with burnt-offerings? With calves — sons of a year?

7Is Jehovah pleased with thousands of rams? With myriads of streams of oil? Do I give my first-born [for] my transgression? The fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul?

8He hath declared to thee, O man, what [is] good; Yea, what is Jehovah requiring of thee, Except — to do judgment, and love kindness, And lowly to walk with thy God?

The Punishment of Israel

9A voice of Jehovah to the city calleth, And wisdom doth fear Thy name, Hear ye the rod, and Him who appointed it.

10Are there yet [in] the house of the wicked Treasures of wickedness, And the abhorred scanty ephah?

11Do I reckon [it] pure with balances of wickedness? And with a bag of deceitful stones?

12Whose rich ones have been full of violence, And its inhabitants have spoken falsehood, And their tongue [is] deceitful in their mouth.

13And I also, I have begun to smite thee, To make desolate, because of thy sins.

14Thou — thou eatest, and thou art not satisfied, And thy pit [is] in thy midst, And thou removest, and dost not deliver, And that which thou deliverest, to a sword I give.

15Thou — thou sowest, and thou dost not reap, Thou — thou treadest the olive, And thou pourest not out oil, And new wine — and thou drinkest not wine.

16And kept habitually are the statutes of Omri, And all the work of the house of Ahab, And ye do walk in their counsels, For My giving thee for a desolation, And its inhabitants for a hissing, And the reproach of My people ye do bear!