The Case against Israel

1Hear ye now what Jehovah said: Arise, contend thou with the mountains, and the hills shall hear thy voice.

2Hear ye mountains the contention of Jehovah, and ye perpetual foundations of the earth: for a contention to Jehovah with his people, and he will dispute with Israel.

3My people, what did I to thee? and in what did I weary thee? answer to me.

4For I brought thee up from the land of Egypt, and from the house of servants I redeemed thee; and I shall send before thy face, Moses, Aaron and, Miriam.

5O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam son of Beor answered him from the acacias even to Gilgal; in order to know the justice of Jehovah.

6With what shall I come before Jehovah? I will bow to the high God; shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves, the sons of a year?

7Will Jehovah delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousands of torrents of oil? shall I give my first-born my transgression? the fruit of my belly, the sin of my soul?

8He announced to thee, O man, what was good; and what did Jehovah require of thee but to do judgment and to love mercy, and being humbled, to go with thy God?

The Punishment of Israel

9The voice of Jehovah will call to the city, and wisdom feared thy name: hear ye the rod, and who appointed it.

10Are there yet treasures of injustice in the house of the unjust, and the ephah of leanness being cursed?

11Shall I make clean with the balances of injustice, and with the bag of stones of deceit?

12For her rich ones were full of violence, and her inhabitants spake falsehood, and their tongue of deceit in their mouth.

13And also I made sick, striking thee, making desolate for thy sins.

14Thou shalt eat and not be satisfied; and thine emptiness in the midst of thee; and thou shalt remove and shalt not deliver; and what thou shalt save I will give to the sword.

15Thou shalt sow and thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olive and thou shalt not anoint thyself with oil; and new wine, and thou shalt not drink wine.

16The laws of Omri will be observed, and all the work of the house of Ahab, and ye will go in their counsels; so that I shall give thee for a desolation, and her inhabitants for hissing, and ye shall bear the reproach of my People.