Micah 4–5

THE LORD’S RULE FROM RESTORED ZION

4In the last days^r

the mountain of the Lord’s house^s

will be established

at the top of the mountains

and will be raised above the hills.

Peoples will stream to it,^t

²and many nations will come and say,^u

“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,^v

to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us about his ways^w

so we may walk in his paths.”

For instruction will go out of Zion^x

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

³He will settle disputes among many peoples^y

and provide arbitration for strong nations

that are far away.

They will beat their swords into plows

and their spears into pruning knives.

Nation will not take up the sword against nation,

and they will never again train for war.

⁴But each person will sit under his grapevine^z

and under his fig tree

with no one to frighten him.^aa

For the mouth of the Lord^ab of Armies

has spoken.

⁵Though all the peoples walk

in the name of their own gods,^ac

we will walk^ad in the name of the Lord our God

forever and ever.^ae

⁶On that day—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

I will assemble the lame

and gather the scattered,^af

those I have injured.

⁷I will make the lame into a remnant,^ag

those far removed into a strong nation.

Then the Lord will reign over them^ah in Mount Zion

from this time on and forever.

⁸And you, watchtower for the flock,^ai

fortified hill^A of Daughter Zion,

the former rule^aj will come to you;

sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.

FROM EXILE TO VICTORY

⁹Now, why are you shouting loudly?^ak

Is there no king with you?

Has your counselor perished^al

so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?

¹⁰Writhe and cry out,^Bam Daughter Zion,

like a woman in labor,

for now you will leave the city^an

and camp in the open fields.

You will go to Babylon;

there you will be rescued;^ao

there the Lord will redeem you^a

from the grasp of your enemies!

¹¹Many nations have now assembled against you;^b

they say, “Let her be defiled,

and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”

¹²But they do not know the Lord’s intentions^c

or understand his plan,

that he has gathered them

like sheaves to the threshing floor.

¹³Rise and thresh,^d Daughter Zion,

for I will make your horns iron

and your hooves bronze

so you can crush many peoples.^e

Then you^C will set apart their plunder^f

for the Lord,

their wealth for the Lord of the whole earth.

FROM DEFEATED RULER TO CONQUERING KING

5Now, daughter who is under attack,

you slash yourself in grief;

a siege is set against us!

They are striking the judge^g of Israel

on the cheek with a rod.

²Bethlehem Ephrathah,^h

you are small among the clans of Judah;

one will come from youⁱ

to be ruler over Israel for me.^j

His origin^D is from antiquity,^k

from ancient times.

³Therefore, Israel will be abandoned^l until the time

when she who is in labor^m has given birth;

then the rest of the ruler’s brothersⁿ will return

to the people of Israel.^o

⁴He will stand and shepherd them^p

in the strength of the Lord,

in the majestic name of the Lord his God.

They will live securely,

for then his greatness will extend

to the ends of the earth.^q

⁵He will be their peace.^r

When Assyria invades our land,^s

when it marches against our fortresses,

we will raise against it seven shepherds,

even eight leaders of men.

⁶They will shepherd^t the land of Assyria with the sword,

the land of Nimrod^u with a drawn blade.^A

So he will rescue us^v from Assyria

when it invades our land,

when it marches against our territory.

THE GLORIOUS AND PURIFIED REMNANT

⁷Then the remnant of Jacob^w

will be among many peoples

like dew from the Lord,^x

like showers on the grass,^y

which do not wait for anyone

or linger for mankind.

⁸Then the remnant of Jacob

will be among the nations, among many peoples,

like a lion among animals of the forest,^z

like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

which tramples^aa and tears^ab as it passes through,

and there is no one to rescue them.^ac

⁹Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,^ad

and all your enemies will be destroyed.

¹⁰In that day—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

I will remove your horses from you^ae

and wreck your chariots.

¹¹I will remove the cities of your land^af

and tear down all your fortresses.^ag

¹²I will remove sorceries from your hands,^ah

and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.

¹³I will remove your carved images^ai

and sacred pillars from you

so that you will no longer worship

the work of your hands.

¹⁴I will pull up the Asherah poles^aj from among you^ak

and demolish your cities.^B

¹⁵I will take vengeance in anger and wrath^al

against the nations that have not obeyed me.