Micah 4:1–7:20
4 In the last days
the mountainy of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,z
and peoples will stream to it.a
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,b
to the temple of the God of Jacob.c
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The lawf will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.g
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.h
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for wari anymore.j
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,k
and no one will make them afraid,l
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.m
in the name of their gods,n
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever.o
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will gather the lame;p
I will assemble the exilesq
and those I have brought to grief.r
7 I will make the lame my remnant,s
those driven away a strong nation.t
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zionu
from that day and forever.v
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
strongholda of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restoredw to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.x”
Has your rulerc perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?z
10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;a
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeemb you
out of the hand of your enemies.
are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
let our eyes gloatc over Zion!”
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,d
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh,e Daughter Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
and you will break to pieces many nations.”f
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,g
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
5 a Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheekh with a rod.
2 “But you, Bethlehemi Ephrathah,j
though you are small among the clansb of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be rulerk over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,l
from ancient times.”m
3 Therefore Israel will be abandonedn
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flocko
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatnessp
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peaceq
when the Assyrians invader our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,s
6 who will rulec the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrodt with drawn sword.d u
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.v
7 The remnantw of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dewx from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,y
which do not wait for anyone
or depend on man.
8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,z
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and manglesa as it goes,
and no one can rescue.b
9 Your hand will be lifted upc in triumph over your enemies,
and all your foes will be destroyed.
10 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will destroy your horses from among you
and demolish your chariots.d
11 I will destroy the citiese of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.f
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
and you will no longer cast spells.g
13 I will destroy your idolsh
and your sacred stones from among you;i
you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.j
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah polese k
when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeancel in anger and wrath
on the nations that have not obeyed me.”
The Lord’s Case Against Israel
6 Listen to what the Lord says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;m
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 “Hear,n you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;o
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a casep against his people;
he is lodging a chargeq against Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdenedr you?s Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egyptt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.u
I sent Mosesv to lead you,
what Balaky king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittimz to Gilgal,a
that you may know the righteous actsb of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come beforec the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?d
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,e
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?f
Shall I offer my firstborng for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?h
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justlyi and to love mercy
and to walk humblya j with your God.k
9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
and to fear your name is wisdom—
“Heed the rodl and the One who appointed it.b
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah,c which is accursed?m
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,n
with a bag of false weights?o
12 Your rich people are violent;p
your inhabitants are liarsq
and their tongues speak deceitfully.r
13 Therefore, I have begun to destroys you,
to ruind you because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;t
your stomach will still be empty.e
You will store up but save nothing,u
because what you savef I will give to the sword.
15 You will plant but not harvest;v
you will press olives but not use the oil,
you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.w
16 You have observed the statutes of Omrix
and all the practices of Ahab’sy house;
you have followed their traditions.z
Therefore I will give you over to ruina
and your people to derision;
you will bear the scornb of the nations.g”
7 What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
none of the early figsc that I crave.
2 The faithful have been swept from the land;d
not onee upright person remains.
Everyone lies in waitf to shed blood;g
they hunt each otherh with nets.i
3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil;j
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,k
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,l
the most upright worse than a thornm hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.n
put no confidence in a friend.o
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
6 For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,p
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.q
7 But as for me, I watchr in hopes for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will heart me.
8 Do not gloat over me,u my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.v
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.w
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,x
until he pleads my casey
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;z
I will see his righteousness.a
and will be covered with shame,b
she who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”c
My eyes will see her downfall;d
even now she will be tramplede underfoot
like mire in the streets.
11 The day for building your wallsf will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day people will come to you
from Assyriag and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.h
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.i
14 Shepherdj your people with your staff,k
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
Let them feed in Bashanm and Gileadn
as in days long ago.o
15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.p”
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,q
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouthsr
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dusts like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come tremblingt out of their dens;
they will turn in fearu to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a Godv like you,
who pardons sinw and forgivesx the transgression
of the remnanty of his inheritance?z
You do not stay angrya forever
but delight to show mercy.b
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquitiesc into the depths of the sea.d
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,e
as you pledged on oath to our ancestorsf
in days long ago.g