Haftarah for Balak

Micha 5:6 - 6:8

This translation was taken from the JPS Tanakh

6 The remnant of Jacob shall be,
In the midst of the many peoples,
Like dew from the Lord,
Like droplets on grass--
Which do not look to any man
Nor place their hope in mortals.

7 The remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the nations,
In the midst of the many peoples,
Like a lion among beasts of the wild,
Like a fierce lion among flocks of sheep,
Which tramples wherever it goes
And rends, with none to deliver.
8 Your hand shall prevail over your foes,
And all your enemies shall be cut down!
9 In that day

--declares the Lord--

I will destroy the horses in your midst
And wreck your chariots.
10 I will destroy the cities of your land
And demolish all your fortresses.
11 I will destroy the sorcery you practice,
And you shall have no more soothsayers.
12 I will destroy your idols
And the sacred pillars in your midst;
And no more shall you bow down
To the work of your hands.
13 I will tear down the sacred posts in your midst
And destroy your cities.
14 In anger and wrath
Will I wreak retribution
On the nations that have not obeyed.

Chapter 6
1 Hear what the Lord is saying:
Come, present [My] case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear you pleading.

2 Hear, you mountains, the case of the Lord--
You firm foundations of the earth!
For the Lord has a case against His people,
He has a suit against Israel.

3 "My people!
What wrong have I done you?
What hardship have I caused you?
Testify against Me.
4 In fact,
I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the house of bondage,
And I sent before you
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 "My people,
Remember what Balak king of Moab
Plotted against you,
And how Balaam son of Beor
Responded to him.
[Recall your passage]
From Shittim to Gilgal--
And you will recognize
The gracious acts of the Lord."

6 With what shall I approach the Lord,
Do homage to God on high?
Shall I approach Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
With myriads of streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for my sins?

8 "He has told you, O man, what is good,
And what the Lord requires of you:
Only to do justice
And to love goodness,
And to walk modestly with your God."