Micah 5:6-6:8

English Standard Version

⁶they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
    and the land of ^(A)Nimrod at its entrances;
and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian
    ^(B)when he comes into our land
    and treads within our border.

A Remnant Shall Be Delivered

⁷Then ^(C)the remnant of Jacob shall be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,
which delay not for a man
    nor wait for the children of man.
⁸And ^(D)the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
^(E)which, when it goes through, treads down
    and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
⁹Your hand shall ^(F)be lifted up over your adversaries,
    and all your enemies shall be cut off.

¹⁰And ^(G)in that day, declares the Lord,
    ^(H)I will cut off your horses from among you
    and will destroy your chariots;
¹¹^(I)and I will cut off the cities of your land
    and throw down all your strongholds;
¹²and I will cut off ^(J)sorceries from your hand,
    and ^(K)you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
¹³and ^(L)I will cut off your carved images
    and ^(M)your pillars from among you,
^(N)and you shall bow down no more
    to the work of your hands;
¹⁴and I will root out your ^(O)Asherah images from among you
    ^(P)and destroy your cities.
¹⁵And in anger and wrath ^(Q)I will execute vengeance
    on the nations that did not obey.

The Indictment of the Lord

6 ^(R)Hear what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
    and let the hills hear your voice.
²^(S)Hear, you mountains, ^(T)the indictment of the Lord,
    and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against his people,
    and he will contend with Israel.

³“O my people, ^(U)what have I done to you?
    ^(V)How have I wearied you? Answer me!
⁴For ^(W)I brought you up from the land of Egypt
    and ^(X)redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
    Aaron, and ^(Y)Miriam.
⁵O my people, remember ^(Z)what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from ^(AA)Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know ^(AB)the righteous acts of the Lord.”

What Does the Lord Require?

⁶^(AC)“With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before ^(AD)God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
⁷^(AE)Will the Lord be pleased with^[a] thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
^(AF)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
⁸He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and ^(AG)what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,^[b]
    and to ^(AH)walk humbly with your God?