The Case against Israel

1Hearken ye nowe what the Lorde sayth: Arise thou, and contend with the mountaynes, and let the hilles heare thy voyce.

2Heare O ye mountaines the Lordes quarel, and ye mightie foundations of the earth: for the Lorde hath a quarell against his people, and wyll pleade with Israel.

3O my people what haue I done vnto thee? or wherein haue I greeued thee? geue me aunswere.

4For I brought thee out of the lande of Egypt, & deliuered thee out of the house of bondage, and I made Moyses, Aaron, and Miriam to leade thee.

5Remember O my people, what Balach the king of Moab had deuised against thee, and what aunswere that Balaam the sonne of Beor gaue him, from Sethin vnto Galgal, that ye may knowe the righteousnesse of the Lorde.

6Wherewith shall I come before the Lorde, and bowe my selfe to the hye God? Shall I come before him with burnt offeringes, and with calues of a yere olde?

7Hath the Lorde a pleasure in many thousandes of Rammes, or innumerabic streames of oyle? shall I geue my first borne for myne offences, and the fruite of my body for the sinne of my soule?

8He hath shewed thee O man what is good, and what the Lorde requireth of thee: namely to do iustly, to loue mercie, and to humble thy selfe to walke with thy God.

The Punishment of Israel

9The Lordes voyce cryeth vnto the citie, and the man that shalbe saued considereth thy name: hearken what is your rodde, & heare him that warneth you.

10Are not yet the treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure which is abhominable?

11Should I iustifie the false balaunces, and the bagge of deceitfull weightes?

12For the riche men thereof are full of crueltie, and the inhabitantes thereof haue spoken lyes, and haue deceitfull tongues in their mouthes.

13Therefore I wyll take in hande to punishe thee, and to make thee desolate, because of thy sinnes.

14Thou shalt eate, and not haue inough: yea, thou shalt bring thy selfe downe in the middes of thee, thou shalt flee, but not escape, and those that thou wouldest saue, wyll I deliuer to the sworde.

15Thou shalt sowe, but not reape, thou shalt presse out Oliues, but oyle shalt thou not haue to annoynt thy selfe withall: thou shalt tread out sweete must, but shalt drincke no wine.

16Ye kepe the ordinaunces of Amri, and all the customes of the house of Ahab, ye walke in their counsels: therfore wyl I make thee waste, and cause thy inhabiters to be hissed at, and ye shall beare the reproche of my people.