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Yahweh's Case Against His People

^1 (F1)(C1)Listen now to what Yahweh is saying,

"Arise, plead your case ^(F2)before the mountains,
And let the hills ^(F1)(C1)listen to your voice.

² "^(F1)(C1)Listen, you mountains, to the case of Yahweh,
And you enduring ^(C2)foundations of the earth,
Because ^(C3)Yahweh has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will reprove.

³ "^(C1)My people, ^(C2)what have I done to you,
And ^(C3)how have I wearied you? Answer Me.

⁴ "Indeed, I ^(C1)brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ^(C2)ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you ^(C3)Moses, Aaron, and ^(C4)Miriam.

⁵ "My people, remember now
What ^(C1)Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from ^(C2)Shittim to ^(C3)Gilgal,
So ^(F1)that you might know the ^(C4)righteous acts of Yahweh."

What Yahweh Requires

^6 (C1)With what shall I come before Yahweh
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come before Him with ^(C2)burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?

⁷ Is Yahweh pleased with ^(C1)thousands of rams,
With ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my ^(C2)firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

⁸ He has ^(C1)told you, O man, what is good;
And ^(C2)what does Yahweh require of you
But to ^(C3)do justice, to ^(C4)love lovingkindness,
And to walk ^(F1)(C5)humbly with your God?

⁹ The voice of Yahweh will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
"Hear, O tribe. Who even has appointed ^(F1)its time?

¹⁰ "Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of ^(C1)wickedness,
And a ^(F1)(C2)short measure which is cursed?

¹¹ "Can I purify wicked ^(C1)scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?

¹² "For the rich men of ^(F1)the city are full of ^(C1)violence,
And her inhabitants speak ^(C2)lies,
And their ^(C3)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

¹³ "So also I will make you ^(C1)sick, striking you down,
^(C2)Desolating you because of your sins.

¹⁴ "You will eat, but you will ^(C1)not be satisfied,
And your ^(F1)vileness will be in your midst.
And you will try to remove something for safekeeping,
But you will ^(C2)not cause anything to escape,
And that which you do have escape, I will give to the sword.

¹⁵ "You will sow but you will ^(C1)not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will ^(C2)not drink wine.

¹⁶ "The statutes of ^(C1)Omri
And all the works of the house of ^(C2)Ahab are kept;
And in their counsels you ^(C3)walk.
Therefore I will give you up as ^(C4)an object of horror
And ^(F1)your inhabitants as an ^(C5)object of hissing,
And you will bear the ^(C6)reproach of My people."