6:7 Will the Lord accept a thousand rams,
or ten thousand streams of olive oil?
Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion,
my offspring – my own flesh and blood – for my sin? 1
6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,
and what the Lord really wants from you: 2
He wants you to 3 promote 4 justice, to be faithful, 5
and to live obediently before 6 your God.
6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling 7 to the city!
It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! 8
Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city! 9
6:10 “I will not overlook, 10 O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, 11
or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much. 12
6:11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales,
or a bag of deceptive weights. 13
6:12 The city’s rich men think nothing of resorting to violence; 14
her inhabitants lie, 15
their tongues speak deceptive words. 16
6:13 I will strike you brutally 17
and destroy you because of your sin.
6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied.
Even if you have the strength 18 to overtake some prey, 19
you will not be able to carry it away; 20
if you do happen to carry away something,
I will deliver it over to the sword.
6:15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them;
you will squeeze oil from the olives, 21 but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; 22
you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink. 23
6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,
and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; 24
you follow their policies. 25
Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, 26
the city’s 27 inhabitants will be taunted derisively, 28
and nations will mock all of you.” 29