1 H ear now what the Lord says: Arise, contend and plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

Hear, I pray you, that which Jehovah is saying: `Rise -- strive thou with the mountains, And cause thou the hills to hear thy voice.'

2 H ear, O mountains, the Lord’s controversy, and you strong and enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has a controversy (a pleading contention) with His people, and He will contend with Israel.

Hear, O mountains, the strife of Jehovah, Ye strong ones -- foundations of earth! For a strife to Jehovah, with His people, And with Israel He doth reason.

3 O My people, what have I done to you? And in what have I wearied you? Testify against Me!

O My people, what have I done to thee? And what -- have I wearied thee? Testify against Me.

4 F or I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house where you were bond servants, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

For I brought thee up from the land of Egypt, And from the house of servants I have ransomed thee, And I send before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

5 O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous and saving acts of the Lord.

O My people, remember, I pray you, What counsel did Balak king of Moab, What answer him did Balaam son of Beor, (From Shittim unto Gilgal,) In order to know the righteous acts of Jehovah.'

6 W ith what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

With what do I come before Jehovah? Do I bow to God Most High? Do I come before Him with burnt-offerings? With calves -- sons of a year?

7 W ill 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?

Is Jehovah pleased with thousands of rams? With myriads of streams of oil? Do I give my first-born my transgression? The fruit of my body the sin of my soul?

8 H e has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?

He hath declared to thee, O man, what good; Yea, what is Jehovah requiring of thee, Except -- to do judgment, and love kindness, And lowly to walk with thy God?

9 T he voice of the Lord calls to the city —and it is sound wisdom to hear and fear Your name—Hear (heed) the rod and Him Who has appointed it.

A voice of Jehovah to the city calleth, And wisdom doth fear Thy name, Hear ye the rod, and Him who appointed it.

10 A re there not still treasures gained by wickedness in the house of the wicked, and a scant measure that is abominable and accursed?

Are there yet the house of the wicked Treasures of wickedness, And the abhorred scanty ephah?

11 C an I be pure with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?

Do I reckon pure with balances of wickedness? And with a bag of deceitful stones?

12 F or rich men are full of violence; her inhabitants have spoken lies and their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.

Whose rich ones have been full of violence, And its inhabitants have spoken falsehood, And their tongue deceitful in their mouth.

13 T herefore I have also smitten you with a deadly wound and made you sick, laying you desolate, waste, and deserted because of your sins.

And I also, I have begun to smite thee, To make desolate, because of thy sins.

14 Y ou shall eat but not be satisfied, and your emptiness and hunger shall remain in you; you shall carry away but fail to save them, and those you do deliver I will give to the sword.

Thou -- thou eatest, and thou art not satisfied, And thy pit in thy midst, And thou removest, and dost not deliver, And that which thou deliverest, to a sword I give.

15 Y ou shall sow but not reap; you shall tread olives but not anoint yourselves with oil, and the grapes but not drink the wine.

Thou -- thou sowest, and thou dost not reap, Thou -- thou treadest the olive, And thou pourest not out oil, And new wine -- and thou drinkest not wine.

16 F or the statutes of Omri you have kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and you walk in their counsels. Therefore I will make you a desolation and an astonishment and your inhabitants a hissing, and you shall bear the reproach and scorn of My people.

And kept habitually are the statutes of Omri, And all the work of the house of Ahab, And ye do walk in their counsels, For My giving thee for a desolation, And its inhabitants for a hissing, And the reproach of My people ye do bear!