Wicked Rulers and Prophets

And I said:

“Hear now, O heads of Jacob,
And you (A)rulers of the house of Israel:
(B)Is it not for you to know justice?
You who hate good and love evil;
Who strip the skin from [a]My people,
And the flesh from their bones;
Who also (C)eat the flesh of My people,
Flay their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And chop them in pieces
Like meat for the pot,
(D)Like flesh in the caldron.”

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:2 Lit. them

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
who eat my people’s flesh,(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(D)
who chop(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(F)

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And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?

Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

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Rulers and Prophets Denounced

And I said:
(A)Hear, you heads of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel!
(B)Is it not for you to know justice?—
    you (C)who hate the good and love the evil,
(D)who tear the skin from off my people[a]
    and their flesh from off their bones,
(E)who eat the flesh of my people,
    and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
    and chop them up like meat in a pot,
    like flesh in a cauldron.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:2 Hebrew from off them

Now hear this,
You heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And [a]pervert all equity,
10 (A)Who build up Zion with (B)bloodshed
And Jerusalem with iniquity:
11 (C)Her heads judge for a bribe,
(D)Her priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for [b]money.
(E)Yet they lean on the Lord, and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No harm can come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
Zion shall be (F)plowed like a field,
(G)Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,
And (H)the mountain of the [c]temple
Like the bare hills of the forest.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:9 Lit. twist
  2. Micah 3:11 Lit. silver
  3. Micah 3:12 Lit. house

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(A)
10 who build(B) Zion with bloodshed,(C)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.(D)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(E)
    her priests teach for a price,(F)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(G)
Yet they look(H) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”(I)
12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(J)
    the temple(K) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(L)

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Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

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(A)Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel,
(B)who detest justice
    and make crooked all that is straight,
10 (C)who build Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 (D)Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
    (E)its priests teach for a price;
    (F)its prophets practice divination for money;
(G)yet they lean on the Lord and (H)say,
    “Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
    (I)No disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
    (J)Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem (K)shall become a heap of ruins,
    and (L)the mountain of the house (M)a wooded height.

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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?
(A)Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand (B)rivers of oil?
(C)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
[a]The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has (D)shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But (E)to do justly,
To love [b]mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:7 My own child
  2. Micah 6:8 Or lovingkindness

With what shall I come before(A) the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?(B)
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(C)
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(D)
Shall I offer my firstborn(E) for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(F)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(G) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a](H) with your God.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:8 Or prudently

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or 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?

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

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What Does the Lord Require?

(A)“With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before (B)God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
(C)Will the Lord be pleased with[a] thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
(D)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and (E)what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[b]
    and to (F)walk humbly with your God?

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:7 Or Will the Lord accept
  2. Micah 6:8 Or steadfast love