But you, Bethlehem, David’s country, the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished. Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back home to the family of Israel. He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength, centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
for the whole world will hold him in respect—Peacemaker of the world!
MICAH 5:2-4 (THE MESSAGE)
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Micah 6:6-7 NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
He [the Lord] has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
Mishpat – Tzedakah – Shalom
Selected verses from Amos 5:7-24 (NIV):
There are those who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground….
There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth….
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts….
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts….
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
—
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:16-17 (NIV)
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:16-21 (NIV)