Micah 6:11
New International Version
Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights?

New Living Translation
How can I tolerate your merchants who use dishonest scales and weights?

English Standard Version
Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?

Berean Standard Bible
Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?

King James Bible
Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?

New King James Version
Shall I count pure those with the wicked scales, And with the bag of deceitful weights?

New American Standard Bible
“Can I justify dishonest balances, And a bag of fraudulent weights?

NASB 1995
“Can I justify wicked scales And a bag of deceptive weights?

NASB 1977
“Can I justify wicked scales And a bag of deceptive weights?

Legacy Standard Bible
Can I purify wicked scales And a bag of deceptive weights?

Amplified Bible
“Can I [be guiltless and] justify deceptive scales And a bag of dishonest weights?

Christian Standard Bible
Can I excuse wicked scales or bags of deceptive weights?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Can I excuse wicked scales or bags of deceptive weights?

American Standard Version
Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?

Contemporary English Version
But I, the LORD, will punish you for cheating with weights and with measures.

English Revised Version
Shall I be pure with wicked balances, and with a bag of deceitful weights?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I cannot tolerate dishonest scales and bags filled with inaccurate weights.

Good News Translation
How can I forgive those who use false scales and weights?

International Standard Version
Will I tolerate those who maintain deceptive standards and who use deceitful weights in their business?

Majority Standard Bible
Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?

NET Bible
I do not condone the use of rigged scales, or a bag of deceptive weights.

New Heart English Bible
Shall I be pure with dishonest scales, and with a bag of deceitful weights?

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?

World English Bible
Shall I tolerate dishonest scales, and a bag of deceitful weights?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Do I reckon [it] pure with balances of wickedness? And with a bag of deceitful stones?

Young's Literal Translation
Do I reckon it pure with balances of wickedness? And with a bag of deceitful stones?

Smith's Literal Translation
Shall I make clean with the balances of injustice, and with the bag of stones of deceit?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall I justify wicked balances, and the deceitful weights of the bag?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Shall I justify unfaithful balances, and the deceitful weighing of a small bag?

New American Bible
Shall I acquit crooked scales, bags of false weights?

New Revised Standard Version
Can I tolerate wicked scales and a bag of dishonest weights?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
How can they justify themselves with the wicked scales and with the bag of deceitful weights?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
How would they be justified with a balance of evil and with a bag of the weights of deceit?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Shall I be pure with wicked balances, And with a bag of deceitful weights?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Shall the wicked be justified by the balanced, or deceitful weights in the bag,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Punishment of Israel
10Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed? 11Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights? 12For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.…

Cross References
Proverbs 11:1
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

Leviticus 19:35-36
You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. / You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 25:13-16
You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light. / You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small. / You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. ...

Amos 8:5
asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.

Hosea 12:7
A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.

Proverbs 20:10
Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the LORD.

Proverbs 20:23
Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.

Ezekiel 45:10
You must use honest scales, a just ephah, and a just bath.

Isaiah 1:22-23
Your silver has become dross; your fine wine is diluted with water. / Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

Jeremiah 5:26-29
For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men. / Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich. / They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy. ...

Zechariah 5:8-11
“This is Wickedness,” he said. And he shoved her down into the basket, pushing down the lead cover over its opening. / Then I lifted up my eyes and saw two women approaching, with the wind in their wings. Their wings were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth. / “Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me. ...

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Luke 16:10
Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

James 5:1-6
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days. ...

1 Thessalonians 4:6
and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you.


Treasury of Scripture

Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?

count them pure.

Hosea 12:7
He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.

the bag.

Proverbs 16:11
A just weight and balance are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his work.

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Acquit Bag Balances Count Deceitful Deceptive Dishonest Justify Possible Punishment Pure Reckon Scales Stones Unjust Weights Wicked Wickedness Wrong
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Acquit Bag Balances Count Deceitful Deceptive Dishonest Justify Possible Punishment Pure Reckon Scales Stones Unjust Weights Wicked Wickedness Wrong
Micah 6
1. God's punishment for ingratitude;
6. for ignorance,
10. for injustice;
16. and for idolatry.














Shall I acquit
The phrase "Shall I acquit" is a rhetorical question posed by God through the prophet Micah. The Hebrew root for "acquit" is "naqah," which means to be free, clean, or innocent. In the context of divine justice, this question underscores God's righteousness and His unwillingness to declare someone innocent who is guilty of wrongdoing. It reflects the biblical principle that God is just and cannot overlook sin. This sets a standard for human justice, emphasizing that true justice cannot be compromised or corrupted.

a man
The term "a man" here is representative of individuals who engage in deceitful practices. In the Hebrew text, "ish" is used, which can refer to a person or mankind in general. This highlights the personal responsibility each individual has before God. It serves as a reminder that every person is accountable for their actions, and God sees beyond societal status or external appearances.

with dishonest scales
The phrase "with dishonest scales" refers to the practice of using inaccurate measuring tools to cheat others in trade. The Hebrew word for "dishonest" is "mirmah," which means deceit or fraud. In ancient times, scales were a common tool for trade, and using dishonest scales was a way to exploit others for personal gain. This imagery is powerful, as it symbolizes broader themes of injustice and corruption. It calls believers to integrity and fairness in all dealings, reflecting God's character.

and with a bag of false weights
The "bag of false weights" further illustrates the deceitful practices condemned by God. Weights were used in conjunction with scales to measure goods, and having a bag of false weights meant that a person was prepared to deceive consistently. The Hebrew word for "false" is "sheqer," meaning lie or deception. This phrase emphasizes premeditated dishonesty and the systemic nature of sin. It serves as a warning against the normalization of unethical behavior and calls for repentance and alignment with God's standards of truth and justice.

(11) Shall I count them pure?--Rather, Can I be innocent with the deceitful balances? The enactments about weights were very stringently expressed in the Law, both affirmatively and negatively: e.g., in Leviticus 19:35-36, "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have." And, "thou shalt not have in thy house divers weights," . . . and "divers measures, a great and small" (Deuteronomy 25:13-14).

Verse 11. - Shall I count them pure? literally, Shall I be pure? The clause is obscure. The Authorized Version regards the speaker as the same as in ver. 10, and translates with some violence to the text. It may be that the prophet speaks as the representative of the awakened transgressor, "Can I be guiltless with such deceit about me?" But the sudden change of personification and of state of feeling is very harsh. Hence some follow Jerome in regarding God as the speaker, and rendering, "Shall I justify the wicked balance?" others, the Septuagint, Syriac, and Chaldee, Αἰ δικαιωθήσεται ἐν ζυγῷ ἄνομος; "Shall the wicked be justified by the balance?" Cheyne is inclined to read the verb in the second person, "Canst thou (O Jerusalem) be pure?" since in the next verse the prophet proceeds, "the rich men thereof" (i.e. of Jerusalem). If we retain the present reading, "Can I be innocent?" we must consider the question as put, for effect's sake, in the mouth of one of the rich oppressors. Jerome's translation is contrary to the use of the verb, which is always intransitive in kal.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Can I excuse
הַאֶזְכֶּ֖ה (ha·’ez·keh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2135: To be translucent, to be innocent

dishonest
רֶ֑שַׁע (re·ša‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7562: Wickedness

scales
בְּמֹ֣אזְנֵי (bə·mō·zə·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - mdc
Strong's 3976: A pair of scales

or bags
וּבְכִ֖יס (ū·ḇə·ḵîs)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3599: A cup, a bag for, money, weights

of false
מִרְמָֽה׃ (mir·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4820: Deceit, treachery

weights?
אַבְנֵ֥י (’aḇ·nê)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 68: A stone


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OT Prophets: Micah 6:11 Shall I be pure with dishonest scales (Mc Mic. Mi)
Micah 6:10
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