1 H ear, 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 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 thee? And what -- have I wearied thee? Testify against Me.

4 F or 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, 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 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 I s 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 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 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 yet the house of the wicked Treasures of wickedness, And the abhorred scanty ephah?

11 D o I reckon pure with balances of wickedness? And with a bag of deceitful stones?

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

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

14 T hou -- 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 T hou -- 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 A nd 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!