1 God Pleads with Israel Hear now what the Lord says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice.
2 Ps. 50:1, 4 Hear, O you mountains, (Is. 1:18); Hos. 12:2 the Lord ’s complaint, And you strong foundations of the earth; For (Is. 1:18) the Lord has a complaint against His people, And He will contend with Israel.
3 “O My people, what Is. 5:4; Jer. 2:5, 31 have I done to you? And how have I Is. 43:22, 23; Mal. 1:13 wearied you? Testify against Me.
4 (Deut. 4:20) 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.
5 O My people, remember now What Num. 22:5, 6; Josh. 24:9 Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know Judg. 5:11 the righteousness of the Lord .”
6 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?
7 Ps. 50:9; Is. 1:11 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand Job 29:6 rivers of oil? Lev. 18:21; 20:1–5;2 Kin. 16:3; Jer. 7:31; Ezek. 23:37 Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has (Deut. 10:12;1 Sam. 15:22); Hos. 6:6; 12:6 shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But Gen. 18:19; Is. 1:17 to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
9 Punishment of Israel’s Injustice The Lord ’s voice cries to the city— Wisdom shall see Your name: “Hear the rod! Who has appointed it?
10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness In the house of the wicked, And the short measure that is an abomination?
11 Shall I count pure those with Lev. 19:36; Hos. 12:7 the wicked scales, And with the bag of deceitful weights?
12 For her rich men are full of Is. 1:23; 5:7; Amos 6:3, 4; Mic. 2:1, 2 violence, Her inhabitants have spoken lies, And Jer. 9:2–6, 8; Hos. 7:13; Amos 2:4 their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “Therefore I will also Lev. 26:16; Ps. 107:17 make you sick by striking you, By making you desolate because of your sins.
14 Lev. 26:26 You shall eat, but not be satisfied; Hunger shall be in your midst. You may carry some away, but shall not save them; And what you do rescue I will give over to the sword.
15 “You shall Deut. 28:38–40; Amos 5:11; Zeph. 1:13; Hag. 1:6 sow, but not reap; You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.
16 For the statutes of 1 Kin. 16:25, 26 Omri are 1 Kin. 16:30; 21:25, 26;2 Kin. 21:3; Hos. 5:11 kept; All the works of Ahab’s house are done; And you walk in their counsels, That I may make you a desolation, And your inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the Is. 25:8 reproach of My people.”