Micah 4–5

¹And it hath come to pass, In the latter end of the days, The mount of the house of Jehovah Is established above the top of the mounts, And it hath been lifted up above the hills, And flowed unto it have peoples. ²And gone have many nations and said, Come and we go up to the mount of Jehovah, And unto the house of the God of Jacob, And He doth teach us of His ways, And we do walk in His paths, For from Zion doth go forth a law, And a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. ³And He hath judged between many peoples, And given a decision to mighty nations afar off, They have beaten their swords to ploughshares, And their spears to pruning-hooks, Nation lifteth not up sword unto nation, Nor do they learn war any more. ⁴And they have sat each under his vine, And under his fig-tree, And there is none troubling, For the mouth of Jehovah of Hosts hath spoken. ⁵For all the peoples do walk, Each in the name of its god—and we, We do walk in the name of Jehovah our God, To the age and for ever. ⁶In that day—an affirmation of Jehovah, I do gather the halting one, And the driven away one I bring together, And she whom I have afflicted. ⁷And I have set the halting for a remnant, And the far-off for a mighty nation, And reigned hath Jehovah over them in mount Zion, From henceforth, and unto the age.

⁸And thou, O tower of Eder, Fort of the daughter of Zion, unto thee it cometh, Yea, come in hath the former rule, The kingdom to the daughter of Jerusalem. ⁹Now, why dost thou shout aloud? A king—is there none in thee? Hath thy counsellor perished, That taken hold of thee hath pain as a travailing woman? ¹⁰Be pained, and bring forth, O daughter of Zion, As a travailing woman, For now, thou goest forth from the city, And thou hast dwelt in the field, And thou hast gone unto Babylon, There thou art delivered, There redeem thee doth Jehovah from the hand of thine enemies. ¹¹And now, gathered against thee have been many nations, who are saying: ‘Let her be defiled, and our eyes look on Zion.’ ¹²They have not known the thoughts of Jehovah, Nor have they understood His counsel, For He hath gathered them as a sheaf into a threshing-floor. ¹³Arise, and thresh, O daughter of Zion, For thy horn I make iron, And thy hoofs I make brass, And thou hast beaten small many peoples, And I have devoted to Jehovah their gain, And their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth!

Chapter 5

¹Now gather thyself together, O daughter of troops, A siege he hath laid against us, With a rod they smite on the cheek the judge of Israel. ²And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth—to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth are of old, From the days of antiquity. ³Therefore he doth give them out till the time She who bringeth forth hath brought forth, And the remnant of his brethren return to the sons of Israel. ⁴And he hath stood and delighted in the strength of Jehovah, In the excellency of the name of Jehovah his God, And they have remained, For now he is great unto the ends of earth. ⁵And this one hath been peace, Asshur! when he doth come into our land, And when he doth tread in our palaces, We have raised against him seven shepherds, And eight anointed of man. ⁶And they have afflicted the land of Asshur with the sword, And the land of Nimrod at its openings, And he hath delivered from Asshur when he doth come into our land, And when he treadeth in our borders.

⁷And the remnant of Jacob hath been in the midst of many peoples, As dew from Jehovah—as showers on the herb, That waiteth not for man, nor stayeth for the sons of men. ⁸Yea, the remnant of Jacob hath been among nations, In the midst of many peoples, As a lion among beasts of a forest, As a young lion among ranks of a flock, Which if it hath passed through, Hath both trodden down and hath torn, And there is no deliverer. ⁹High is thy hand above thine adversaries, And all thine enemies are cut off. ¹⁰And it hath come to pass in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah, I have cut off thy horses from thy midst, And I have destroyed thy chariots, ¹¹And I have cut off the cities of thy land, And I have thrown down all thy fortresses, ¹²And have cut off sorcerers out of thy hand, And observers of clouds thou hast none. ¹³And I have cut off thy graven images, And thy standing-pillars out of thy midst, And thou dost not bow thyself any more To the work of thy hands. ¹⁴And I have plucked up thy shrines out of thy midst, And I have destroyed thine enemies. ¹⁵And I have done vengeance in anger and in fury, With the nations who have not hearkened!

Chapter 6