Daily Bible Reading

The Indictment of the Lord

1Hear what the Lord says:

Arise, plead your case before the mountains,

and let the hills hear your voice.

2Hear, 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.

3“O my people, what have I done to you?

How have I wearied you? Answer me!

4For 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.

5O 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.”

What Does the Lord Require?

6“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?

7Will 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?”

8He 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?

Destruction of the Wicked

9The 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!

10Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked,

and the scant measure that is accursed?

11Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales

and with a bag of deceitful weights?

12Your rich men are full of violence;

your inhabitants speak lies,

and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

13Therefore I strike you with a grievous blow,

making you desolate because of your sins.

14You shall eat, but not be satisfied,

and there shall be hunger within you;

you shall put away, but not preserve,

and what you preserve I will give to the sword.

15You shall sow, but not reap;

you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;

you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.

16For you have kept the statutes of Omri,

and all the works of the house of Ahab;

and you have walked in their counsels,

that I may make you a desolation, and your inhabitants a hissing;

so you shall bear the scorn of my people.”

The Lord’s Case Against Israel

1Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;

let the hills hear what you have to say.

2“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.

3“My people, what have I done to you?

How have I burdened you? Answer me.

4I brought you up out of Egypt

and redeemed you from the land of slavery.

I sent Moses to lead you,

also Aaron and Miriam.

5My 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.”

6With 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?

7Will 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?

8He 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.

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

9Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—

and to fear your name is wisdom—

“Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.

10Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,

and the short ephah, which is accursed?

11Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,

with a bag of false weights?

12Your rich people are violent;

your inhabitants are liars

and their tongues speak deceitfully.

13Therefore, I have begun to destroy you,

to ruin you because of your sins.

14You will eat but not be satisfied;

your stomach will still be empty.

You will store up but save nothing,

because what you save I will give to the sword.

15You will plant but not harvest;

you will press olives but not use the oil,

you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.

16You have observed the statutes of Omri

and all the practices of Ahab’s house;

you have followed their traditions.

Therefore I will give you over to ruin

and your people to derision;

you will bear the scorn of the nations.”