Micah 4

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.