Micah
Introduction
1:1This is the prophetic message that the LORD gave to1 Micah of Moresheth. He delivered this message2 during the reigns of3 Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The prophecies pertain to4 Samaria and Jerusalem.
The Judge is Coming
1:2 Listen, all you nations!5
Pay attention, O earth and all that is in it!6
The sovereign LORD will testify against you,
the LORD who is coming7 from his majestic palace.8
1:3 For, look, the LORD is leaving his dwelling place
and he will descend and march on the earth's mountaintops.9
1:4 The mountains will disintegrate10 beneath him,
and the valleys will be split in two.11
The mountains will melt12 like wax in a fire,
The rocks will slide down like water flows down a steep slope.13
1:5 All this is because of Jacob's rebellion
and14 the sins of the nation15 of Israel.
How has Jacob rebelled, you ask?16
Samaria epitomizes their rebellion!17
Where are Judah's pagan worship centers, you ask?18
They are right in Jerusalem!19
1:6 "I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in an open field--
vineyards will be planted there!20
I will roll21 her stones down into the valley,
and uncover her foundations.
1:7 All her idols will be crushed to bits,
all the precious metal used to make idols will be burned,22
and I will destroy23 all her images.
Since24 she gathered the metal25 as a prostitute collects her wages,
the idols will become a prostitute's wages again."26
1:8 For this reason I27 will mourn and wail;
I will walk around barefoot28 and without my outer garments.29
I will howl30 like a wild dog,31
and screech32 like an owl.33
1:9 For Samaria's34 disease35 is incurable,
and it has infected36 Judah,
and has struck37 the leadership38 of my people in Jerusalem.
1:10 Don't spread the news in Gath!39
Don't shed even a single tear!40
In Beth Leaphra sit in the dust!41
1:11 Residents42 of Shaphir,43 pass by in nakedness and humiliation!44
The residents of Zaanan can't leave their city.45
Beth Ezel46 mourns,47
"He takes from you what he desires."48
1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth49 wait for something good to happen,50
though the LORD has sent disaster against the gate of Jerusalem.51
1:13 Residents of Lachish,52 hitch the horses to the chariots!
You53 influenced Daughter Zion54 to sin,55
for Israel's rebellious deeds were discovered in you.
1:14 Therefore you56 will have to say farewell57 to Moresheth Gath.
The residents58 of Aczib59 will be a disappointment60 to the kings of Israel.61
1:15 Residents of Mareshah,62 a conqueror will attack you,63
the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam.64
1:16 Shave your heads bald as you mourn for the children you love;65
shave your foreheads as bald66 as an eagle's,67
for they are taken from you into exile.
Land Robbers Will Lose their Land
2:1Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead,1
those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed.2
As soon as morning arrives they carry out their plans,3
because they have the power to do so.
2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,
and seize the houses they want.4
They defraud a man of his home,
and deprive a man of the land he has inherited.5
2:3 Therefore the LORD says this:
"Look, I am devising disaster for this nation.6
It will be like a yoke from which you can't remove your neck.7
You will no longer8 walk proudly,
for it will be a time of catastrophe.
2:4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you--
they will mock you with this lament:9
`We are completely destroyed;
they sell off10 the property of my people.
How they remove it from me!11
They assign our fields to the conqueror.'12
2:5 Therefore no one will assign you land in the LORD's community.13
2:6 `Don't preach with such impassioned rhetoric,' they say excitedly.14
`These prophets should not preach of such things;
we will not be overtaken by humiliation.'15
2:7 Does the family16 of Jacob say,17
`The LORD's patience18 can't be exhausted,
he would never do such things'?19
My commands bring a reward
for those who obey them,20
2:8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people.21
You steal a robe from a friend22
from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war.23
2:9 You force the women among my people to leave their pleasant homes.
You permanently deprive their children of the land I gave them.24
2:10 Get up and leave, for this land is not secure!25
Sin will thoroughly destroy it!26
2:11 If a lying windbag should come and say,27
`I'll promise you wine and beer,'28
he would be just the right preacher for these people!29
The Lord Will Restore His People
2:12 I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob,
I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain.30
I will bring them together like sheep in a fold,31
like a flock in the middle of a pasture;32
and there will be so many of them they will make a great deal of noise.33
2:13 The one who can break through barriers will lead them out34
they will break out, pass through the gate, and leave.35
Their king will advance36 before them,
The LORD himself will lead them.37
God Will Judge Judah's Sinful Leaders
3:1I said,
"Listen, you leaders1 of Jacob,
you rulers of the nation2 of Israel!
You should know what is just,3
3:2 yet you4 hate what is right,5
and love what is wrong.6
You tear off my people's skin,7
and rip the flesh from their bones.8
3:3 You9 devour my people's flesh,
strip off their skin,
and crush their bones.
You chop up them up like flesh in a pot10--
like meat in a kettle.
3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the LORD for help,11
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have done such wicked deeds."
3:5 This is what the LORD says:
"The prophets who mislead my people
are as good as dead.12
If someone gives them enough to eat,
they offer an oracle of peace.13
But if someone does not give them food,
they are ready to declare war on him.14
3:6 Therefore night will fall, and you will receive no visions;15
it will grow dark, and you will no longer be able to read the omens.16
The sun will set on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn to darkness over their heads.17
3:7 The prophets18 will be ashamed;
the omen-readers will be humiliated.
All of them will cover their mouths,19
for they will receive no divine oracles."20
3:8 But I21 am full of the courage that the LORD's Spirit gives,
and have a strong commitment to justice.22
This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,
and Israel with its sin.23
3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family24 of Jacob,
you rulers of the nation25 of Israel!
You26 hate justice
and pervert all that is right.
3:10 You27 build Zion through bloody deeds,28
Jerusalem through violent deeds of injustice.
3:11 Her29 leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases,30
her priests teach for profit,
and her prophets read omens for pay.
Yet they claim to trust31 the LORD and say,
"The LORD is among us.32
Disaster will not come upon us!"
3:12 Therefore, because of you,33 Zion will be plowed up like34 a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the temple mount35 will become a hill overgrown with brush!36
Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem
4:1In the future1 the LORD's temple mount will be the most important mountain of all;2
it will be more prominent than other hills.3
People will stream to it,
4:2 and many nations will come, saying,
"Come on! Let's go up to the LORD's mountain,
to the temple4 of Jacob's God,
so he can teach us his commands,5
and we can live by his laws."6
For Zion will be the source of instruction,
and the LORD's teachings will proceed from Jerusalem.7
4:3 He will arbitrate8 between many peoples,
and mediate for many9 distant nations.10
They will beat their swords into plowing implements,
and their spears into pruning tools.
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
4:4 Each will sit under his own grapevine
or under his own fig tree without any fear.11
The LORD who leads armies has decreed it.12
4:5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods,13
we will follow14 the LORD our God forever.
Restoration Will Follow Crisis
4:6 "In that day," says the LORD, "I will gather the lame,
and assemble the outcasts whom I injured.15
4:7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation,16
and those far off17 into a mighty nation.
The LORD will reign over them on Mount Zion,
from that day forward and forevermore."18
4:8 As for you, watchtower for the flock,19
fortress of Daughter Zion20--
your former dominion will be restored,21
the sovereignty that belongs to Daughter Jerusalem.
4:9 Jerusalem, why are you22 now shouting so loudly?23
Has your king disappeared?24
Has your wise leader25 been destroyed?
Is this why26 pain grips27 you as if you were a woman in labor?
4:10 Twist and strain,28 Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor!
For you will leave the city
and live in the open field.
You will go to Babylon,
but there you will be rescued.
There the LORD will deliver29 you
from the power30 of your enemies.
4:11 Many nations have now assembled against you.
They say, "Jerusalem must be desecrated,31
so we can gloat over Zion!"32
4:12 But they do not know what the LORD is planning;
they do not understand his strategy.
He has gathered them like stalks of grain at the threshing floor.
4:13 "Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion!
For I will give you iron horns;33
I will give you bronze hooves,
and you will pulverize many nations."34
You will devote to the LORD the booty you take from them,
and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler of the whole earth.35
5:1 (4:14)1 But now slash yourself,2 daughter surrounded by soldiers!3
We are besieged!
With a scepter4 they strike Israel's ruler5
on the side of his face.
A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper
5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,6
seemingly insignificant7 among the clans of Judah--
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf,8
one whose origins9 are in the distant past.10
5:3 So the LORD11 will hand the people of Israel12 over to their enemies13
until the time when the woman in labor14 gives birth.15
Then the rest of the king's16 brothers will return
to be reunited with the people of Israel.17
5:4 He will assume his position18 and shepherd the people19 by the LORD's strength,
by the sovereign authority of the LORD his God.20
They will live in peace,21 for at that time he will be honored22
even in the distant regions of23 the earth.
5:5 He will give us peace.24
When the Assyrians try to invade our land,
and attempt to set foot in our fortresses,25
we will send26 against them seven27 shepherd-rulers,28
make that eight commanders.29
5:6 They will rule30 the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod31 with a drawn sword.32
Our king33 will rescue us from the Assyrians,
when they attempt to invade our land
and try to set foot in our territory.
5:7 Those survivors from34 Jacob will live35
in the midst of many nations.
They will be like the dew the LORD sends,
like the rain on the grass,
that does not hope for men to come
or wait around for human beings to arrive.36
5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples.
They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it passes through, attacks
and rips its prey,37 and can't be stopped.38
5:9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries;39
may all your enemies be destroyed!40
The Lord Will Purify His People
5:10 "In that day," says the LORD,
"I will destroy41 your horses from your midst,
and smash your chariots.
5:11 I will destroy the cities of your land,
and tear down all your fortresses.
5:12 I will remove the magic charms42 from your hands,
and you will no longer have omen readers living among you.43
5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;
you will no longer worship what your own hands made.
5:14 I will uproot your images of Asherah44 from your midst,
and destroy your idols.45
5:15 I will angrily seek vengeance
on the nations that do not obey me."46
The Lord Demands Justice, not Ritual
6:1 Listen to what the LORD says:
"Get up! Defend yourself1 before the mountains!2
Present your case before the hills!"3
6:2 (Hear the LORD's accusation, you mountains,
you enduring foundations of the earth!
For the LORD has a case against his people;
he has a dispute with Israel.)4
6:3 "My people, how have I wronged you?5
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
6:4 Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I delivered you from that place of slavery.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.6
6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you,7
and how Balaam son of Beor responded to him.
Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal,
so you might acknowledge that the LORD has treated you fairly."8
6:6 With what should I9 enter the LORD's presence?
With what10 should I bow before the sovereign God?11
Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings,
with year-old calves?
6:7 Will the LORD accept a thousand rams,
or ten thousand streams of olive oil?
Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion,
my own flesh and blood descendant for my sin?12
6:8 He has told you, O man, what is proper,
and what the LORD really wants from you:13
He wants you to14 promote15 justice, to be faithful,16
and to live obediently before17 your God.
6:9 Listen! The LORD is calling18 to the city
(It is wise to respect your authority!)19
Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city!20
6:10 "I will not overlook,21 O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away,22
or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much.23
6:11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales,
or a bag of deceptive weights.24
6:12 The city's rich men think nothing of resorting to violence;25
her inhabitants lie,26
their tongues speak deceptive words.27
6:13 I will strike you brutally28
and destroy you because of your sin.
6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied.
Even if you have the strength29 to overtake some prey,30 you will not be able to carry it away;31
if you do happen to carry away something, I will deliver it over to the sword.
6:15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them;
you will squeeze oil from the olives,32 but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies;33
you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink.34
6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,
and all the practices of Ahab's dynasty;35
you follow their policies.36
Therefore I will make you an appalling sight,37
the city's38 inhabitants will be taunted derisively,39
and nations will mock all of you."40
Micah Laments Judah's Sin
7:1I am depressed!1
Indeed,2 it's as if the summer fruit has been gathered,
and the grapes have been harvested.3
There is no grape cluster to eat,
no fresh figs that I crave so much.4
7:2 Faithful men have disappeared5 from the land;
there are no godly men left.6
They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood;7
they hunt their own brother with a net.8
7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil;9
government officials and judges take bribes,10
prominent men make demands, and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them.11
7:4 The best of them is like a thorn;
the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thornbushes.12
The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen, your appointed time of punishment, is on the way,13
and then you will experience confusion.14
7:5 Do not rely on a friend;
do not trust a companion!
Don't even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms!15
7:6 For a son thinks his father is a fool,
a daughter challenges16 her mother,
and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law;
a man's enemies are his own servants.17
7:7 But I will keep watching for the LORD;
I will wait for the God who delivers me.
My God will hear my lament.18
Jerusalem Will Be Vindicated
7:8 My enemies,19 do not gloat20 over me!
Though I have fallen, I will get up.
Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.21
7:9 I will endure22 the LORD's anger,
for I have sinned against him.
But then23 he will defend my cause,24
and accomplish justice on my behalf.
He will lead me out into the light;
I will experience firsthand25 his deliverance.26
7:10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame.
They say27 to me, "Where is the LORD your God?"
I will gloat over them.28
Then they will be trampled down29
like mud in the streets.
7:11 It will be a day for rebuilding your walls;
in that day your boundary will be extended.30
A Closing Prayer
7:12 In that day people31 will come to you32
from Assyria as far as33 Egypt,
from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River,34
from the seacoasts,35
and the mountains.36
7:13 The earth will become desolate37
because of what its inhabitants have done.38
7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd's rod,39
the flock that belongs to you,40
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland.41
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead,42
as they did in the old days.43
7:15 "As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt,
I will show you44 miraculous deeds."45
7:16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by46 all their strength,
they will put their hands over their mouths,
and act as if they were deaf.47
7:17 They will lick the dust like a snake,
like serpents crawling on the ground.48
They will come trembling from their strongholds
to the LORD our God;49
they will be terrified50 of you.51
7:18 There is no other God like you!52
You53 forgive sin
and pardon54 the rebellion
of those who remain among your people.55
You do not remain angry forever,56
but delight in showing loyal love.
7:19 You will once again57 have mercy on us;
you will conquer58 our evil deeds;
you will throw our59 sins into the depths of the sea.60
7:20 You will be loyal to Jacob
and extend your loyal love to Abraham,61
which you promised on oath to our ancestors62
in ancient times.63