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Micah 1-7
New International Reader's Version
Micah 1-7
New International Reader's Version
1 A message from the Lord came to Micah. He was from the town of Moresheth. The message came while Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. This is the vision Micah saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Here is what he said.
2 Listen to me, all you nations!
Earth and everyone who lives in it, pay attention!
The Lord and King will be a witness against you.
The Lord will speak from his holy temple in heaven.
The Lord Will Judge Samaria and Jerusalem
3 The Lord is about to come down
from his home in heaven.
He rules over even the highest places on earth.
4 The mountains will melt under him
like wax near a fire.
The valleys will be broken apart
by water rushing down a slope.
5 All this will happen because
Jacob’s people have done what is wrong.
The people of Israel
have committed many sins.
Who is to blame
for the wrong things Jacob has done?
Samaria!
Who is to blame for the high places
where Judah’s people worship other gods?
Jerusalem!
6 So the Lord says,
“I will turn Samaria into a pile of trash.
It will become a place for planting vineyards.
I will dump its stones down into the valley.
And I will destroy it
down to its very foundations.
7 All the statues of Samaria’s gods
will be broken to pieces.
All the gifts its people gave to temple prostitutes
will be burned with fire.
I will destroy all the statues of its gods.
Samaria collected gifts that were paid to temple prostitutes.
So the Assyrians will use the gifts
to pay their own temple prostitutes.”
Micah Weeps Over His People
8 I will weep and mourn because Samaria will be destroyed.
I’ll walk around barefoot and naked.
I’ll bark like a wild dog.
I’ll hoot like an owl.
9 Samaria’s plague can’t be healed.
The plague has spread to Judah.
It has spread right up to the gate of my people.
It has spread to Jerusalem itself.
10 Don’t tell the people of Gath about it.
Don’t let them see you weep.
People in Beth Ophrah, roll in the dust.
11 You who live in the town of Shaphir,
leave naked and in shame.
Those who live in Zaanan
won’t come out to help you.
The people in Beth Ezel will mourn.
They won’t be able to help keep you safe any longer.
12 Those who live in Maroth will groan with pain
as they wait for help.
That’s because the Lord will bring trouble on them.
It will reach the very gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,
get your fast horses ready to pull their chariots.
You trust in military power.
Lachish was where sin began
for the people of Zion.
The wrong things Israel did
were also done by you.
14 People of Judah, you might as well say goodbye
to Moresheth near Gath.
The town of Akzib won’t give any help
to the kings of Israel.
15 An enemy will attack
you who live in Mareshah.
Israel’s nobles will have to run away
and hide in the cave of Adullam.
16 The children you enjoy so much
will be taken away as prisoners.
So shave your heads and mourn.
Make them as bare as the head of a vulture.
People’s Plans and God’s Plans
2 How terrible it will be for those
who plan to harm others!
How terrible for those who make evil plans
before they even get out of bed!
As soon as daylight comes,
they carry out their plans.
That’s because they have the power to do it.
2 If they want fields or houses,
they take them.
They cheat people out of their homes.
They rob them of their property.
3 So the Lord says to them,
“I am planning to send trouble on you.
You will not be able to save yourselves from it.
You will not live so proudly anymore.
It will be a time of trouble.
4 At that time people will make fun of you.
They will tease you by singing a song of sadness.
They will pretend to be you and say,
‘We are totally destroyed.
Our enemies have divided up our land.
The Lord has taken it away from us!
He has given our fields to those
who turned against us.’ ”
5 So you won’t even have anyone left
in the Lord’s community
who can divide up the land for you.
Some Prophets Aren’t Really Prophets at All
6 “Don’t prophesy,” the people’s prophets say.
“Don’t prophesy about bad things.
Nothing shameful is going to happen to us.”
7 People of Jacob, should anyone say,
“The Lord is patient,
so he wouldn’t do things like that”?
The Lord replies, “What I promise brings good things
to those who lead honest lives.
8 But lately my people have attacked one another
as if they were enemies.
You strip off the rich robes
from those who happen to pass by.
They thought they were as safe as men
returning from a battle they had won.
9 You drive the women among my people
out of their pleasant homes.
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up! Leave this land!
It is no longer your resting place.
You have made it ‘unclean.’
You have completely destroyed it.
11 Suppose a prophet goes around telling lies.
And he prophesies that you will have
plenty of wine and beer.
Then that kind of prophet would be
just right for this nation!
The Lord Promises to Save His People
12 “People of Jacob, I will gather all of you.
I will bring together
you who are still left alive in Israel.
I will gather you together like sheep in a pen.
You will be like a flock in its grasslands.
Your country will be filled with people.
13 I will open the way for you to return.
I will march in front of you.
You will break through the city gates and go free.
I am your King. I will pass through the gates
in front of you.
I, the Lord, will lead the way.”
The Lord Warns Israel’s Leaders and Prophets
3 Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders of Jacob’s people!
Pay attention, you rulers of Israel!
You should want to judge others fairly.
2 But you hate what is good.
And you love what is evil.
You are like someone
who tears the skin off my people.
You pull the meat off their bones.
3 You eat my people’s bodies.
You strip off their skin.
You break their bones in pieces.
You chop them up like meat.
You put them in a cooking pot.”
4 The time will come when Israel
will cry out to the Lord.
But he won’t answer them.
In fact, he’ll turn his face away from them.
They have done what is evil.
5 The Lord says,
“The prophets are those
who lead my people astray.
If my people feed them,
the prophets promise them peace.
If my people do not feed them,
the prophets prepare to go to war against them.
6 So night will come on the prophets.
But they will not have any visions.
Darkness will cover them.
But they will not be able
to figure out what is going to happen.
The sun will set on the prophets.
The day will become dark for them.
7 Those who see visions will be put to shame.
Those who try to figure out what is going to happen
will be dishonored.
All of them will cover their faces.
I will not answer them.”
8 The Spirit of the Lord
has filled me with power.
He helps me do what is fair.
He makes me brave.
Now I’m prepared to tell Jacob’s people
what they’ve done wrong.
I’m ready to tell Israel they’ve sinned.
9 Listen to me, you leaders of Jacob’s people!
Pay attention, you rulers of Israel!
You hate to do what is fair.
You twist everything that is right.
10 You build up Zion by spilling the blood of others.
You build Jerusalem by doing what is evil.
11 Your judges take money from people
who want special favors.
Your priests teach only if they get paid for it.
Your prophets won’t tell fortunes
unless they receive money.
But you still look for the Lord’s help.
You say, “The Lord is with us.
No trouble will come on us.”
12 So because of what you have done,
Zion will be plowed up like a field.
Jerusalem will be turned into a pile of trash.
The temple hill will be covered with bushes and weeds.
People From Many Nations Will Worship at the Lord’s Mountain
4 In the last days
the mountain where the Lord’s temple is located will be famous.
It will be the highest mountain of all.
It will be lifted up above the hills.
And nations will go to it.
2 People from many nations will go there. They will say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain.
Let’s go to the temple of Jacob’s God.
He will teach us how we should live.
Then we will live the way he wants us to.”
The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion.
His message will go out from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between people from many nations.
He’ll settle problems among strong nations everywhere.
They will hammer their swords into plows.
They’ll hammer their spears into pruning tools.
Nations will not go to war against one another.
They won’t even train to fight anymore.
4 Everyone will have
their own vine and fig tree.
And no one will make them afraid.
That’s what the Lord who rules over all has promised.
5 Other nations worship and trust in their gods.
But we will worship and obey the Lord.
He will be our God for ever and ever.
The Lord’s Plan
6 “The time is coming
when I will gather those who are disabled,”
announces the Lord.
“I will bring together those
who were taken away as prisoners.
I will gather those I have allowed to suffer.
7 I will make the disabled my faithful people.
I will make into a strong nation those driven away from their homes.
I will rule over them on Mount Zion.
I will be their King from that time on and forever.
8 Jerusalem, you used to be
like a guard tower for my flock.
City of Zion, you used to be
a place of safety for my people.
The glorious kingdom you had before
will be given back to you.
Once again a king will rule over your people.”
9 Why are you crying out so loudly now?
Don’t you have a king?
Has your ruler died?
Is that why pain comes on you
like the pain of a woman having a baby?
10 People of Zion, groan with pain.
Cry out like a woman having a baby.
Soon you must leave your city.
You must camp in the open fields.
You will have to go to the land of Babylon.
But that’s where the Lord will save you.
There he will set you free
from the power of your enemies.
11 But now many nations
have gathered together to attack you.
They say, “Let Jerusalem be made ‘unclean.’
We want to laugh when Zion suffers!”
12 But those nations don’t know
what the Lord has in mind.
They don’t understand his plan.
He has planned to gather them up like bundles of grain.
He has planned to take them to his threshing floor.
13 The Lord says,
“People of Zion, get up
and crush your enemies.
I will make you like a threshing ox.
I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves.
So you will crush many nations.”
They got their money in the wrong way.
But you will set it apart to the Lord.
You will give their wealth
to the Lord of the whole earth.
A Promised Ruler Will Come From Bethlehem
5 Jerusalem, you are being attacked.
So bring your troops together.
Our enemies have surrounded us.
They want to slap the face of Israel’s ruler.
2 The Lord says,
“Bethlehem Ephrathah, you might not be
an important town in the nation of Judah.
But out of you will come for me
a ruler over Israel.
His family line goes back
to the early years of your nation.
It goes all the way back
to days of long ago.”
3 The Lord will hand over his people to their enemies.
That will last until the pregnant woman bears her promised son.
Then the rest of his relatives in Judah
will return to their land.
4 That promised son will stand firm
and be a shepherd for his flock.
The Lord will give him the strength to do it.
The Lord his God will give him
the authority to rule.
His people will live safely.
His greatness will reach
from one end of the earth to the other.
5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians attack our land.
They will march through our forts.
But we will raise up against them many shepherds.
We’ll send out against them
as many commanders as we need to.
6 They will use their swords to rule over Assyria.
They’ll rule the land of Nimrod
with swords that are ready to strike.
The Assyrians will march across our borders
and attack our land.
But the promised ruler will save us from them.
7 Jacob’s people who are still left alive
will be scattered among many nations.
They will be like dew the Lord has sent.
Dew doesn’t depend on any human being.
They will be like rain that falls on the grass.
Rain doesn’t wait for someone to give it orders.
8 So Jacob’s people will be scattered
among many nations.
They will be like a lion
among the animals in the forest.
They’ll be like a young lion
among flocks of sheep.
Lions attack and tear apart their prey as they move along.
No one can keep them
from killing what they want.
9 Lord, your power will win the battle
over your enemies.
All of them will be destroyed.
10 “At that time I will destroy
your war horses,” announces the Lord.
“I will smash your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities in your land.
I will tear down all your forts.
12 I will destroy your worship of evil powers.
You will no longer be able
to put a spell on anyone.
13 I will destroy the statues of your gods.
I will take your sacred stones away from you.
You will no longer bow down
to the gods your hands have made.
14 I will pull down the poles you used
to worship the female god named Asherah.
That will happen when I completely destroy your cities.
15 I will pay back the nations
that have not obeyed me.
I will direct my anger against them.”
The Lord Brings Charges Against Israel
6 Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. He says to me,
“Stand up in court.
Let the mountains serve as witnesses.
Let the hills hear what you have to say.”
2 Hear the Lord’s case, you mountains.
Listen, you age-old foundations of the earth.
The Lord has a case against his people Israel.
He is bringing charges against them.
3 The Lord says,
“My people, what have I done to you?
Have I made things too hard for you? Answer me.
4 I brought your people up out of Egypt.
I set them free from the land
where they were slaves.
I sent Moses to lead them.
Aaron and Miriam helped him.
5 Remember how Balak, the king of Moab,
planned to put a curse on your people.
But Balaam, the son of Beor,
gave them a blessing instead.
Remember their journey from Shittim to Gilgal.
I want you to know
that I always do what is right.”
6 The people of Israel say,
“What should we bring with us
when we go to worship the Lord?
What should we offer the God of heaven
when we bow down to him?
Should we take burnt offerings to him?
Should we sacrifice calves
that are a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams?
Will he take delight in 10,000 rivers of olive oil?
Should we offer our oldest sons
for the wrong things we’ve done?
Should we sacrifice our own children
to pay for our sins?”
8 The Lord has shown you what is good.
He has told you what he requires of you.
You must act with justice.
You must love to show mercy.
And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God.
The Lord Will Punish His Guilty People
9 The Lord is calling out to Jerusalem.
And it would be wise to pay attention to him.
He says, “Listen, tribe of Judah
and you people who are gathered in the city.
10 You sinful people, should I forget
that you got your treasures by stealing them?
You use dishonest measures to cheat others.
I have placed a curse on that practice.
11 Should I forgive anyone who uses dishonest scales?
They use weights that weigh things heavier
or lighter than they really are.
12 The rich people among you harm others.
You are always telling lies.
You try to fool others by what you say.
13 So I have begun to strike you down.
I have begun to destroy you
because you have sinned so much.
14 You will eat. But you will not be satisfied.
Your stomachs will still be empty.
You will try to save what you can.
But you will not be able to.
If you do save something,
it will be destroyed in battle.
15 You will plant seeds.
But you will not harvest any crops.
You will press olives.
But you will not use the oil.
You will crush grapes.
But you will not drink the wine
that is made from them.
16 You have followed the evil practices
of King Omri of Israel.
You have done what the family
of King Ahab did.
You have followed their bad example.
So I will let you be destroyed.
Others will make fun of you.
The nations will laugh at you.”
Israel’s Sin Brings Suffering
7 I’m suffering very much!
I’m like someone who gathers summer fruit in a vineyard
after the good fruit has already been picked.
No grapes are left to eat.
None of the early figs I long for remain.
2 Faithful people have disappeared from the land.
Those who are honest are gone.
Everyone hides and waits
to spill the blood of others.
They use nets to try and trap one another.
3 They are very good at doing what is evil.
Rulers require gifts.
Judges accept money from people
who want special favors.
Those who are powerful
always get what they want.
All of them make evil plans together.
4 The best of these people are as harmful as thorns.
The most honest of them are even worse.
God has come to punish you.
The time your prophets warned you about has come.
Panic has taken hold of you.
5 Don’t trust your neighbors.
Don’t put your faith in your friends.
Be careful what you say
even to your own wife.
6 Sons don’t honor their fathers.
Daughters refuse to obey their mothers.
Daughters-in-law are against their mothers-in-law.
A man’s enemies are the members of his own family.
7 But I will look to the Lord.
I’ll put my trust in God my Savior.
He will hear me.
Jerusalem Will Be Rebuilt
8 The people of Jerusalem say,
“Don’t laugh when we suffer,
you enemies of ours!
We have fallen.
But we’ll get up.
Even though we sit in the dark,
the Lord will give us light.
9 We’ve sinned against the Lord.
So he is angry with us.
His anger will continue until he takes up our case.
Then he’ll do what is right for us.
He’ll bring us out into the light.
Then we’ll see him save us.
10 Our enemies will see it too.
And they will be put to shame.
After all, they said to us,
‘Where is the Lord your God?’
But we will see them destroyed.
Soon they will be stomped on
like mud in the streets.”
11 People of Jerusalem, the time will come
when your walls will be rebuilt.
Land will be added to your territory.
12 At that time your people will come back to you.
They’ll return from Assyria
and the cities of Egypt.
They’ll come from the countries
between Egypt and the Euphrates River.
They’ll return from the lands
between the seas.
They’ll come back from the countries
between the mountains.
13 But the rest of the earth will be deserted.
The people who live in it
have done many evil things.
Prayer and Praise
14 Lord, be like a shepherd to your people.
Take good care of them.
They are your flock.
They live by themselves
in the safety of a forest.
Rich grasslands are all around them.
Let them eat grass in Bashan and Gilead
just as they did long ago.
15 The Lord says to his people,
“I showed you my wonders
when you came out of Egypt long ago.
In the same way, I will show them to you again.”
16 When the nations see those wonders,
they will be put to shame.
All their power will be taken away from them.
They will be so amazed
that they won’t be able to speak or hear.
17 They’ll be forced to eat dust like a snake.
They’ll be like creatures
that have to crawl on the ground.
They’ll come out of their dens
trembling with fear.
They’ll show respect for the Lord our God.
They will also have respect for his people.
18 Lord, who is a God like you?
You forgive sin.
You forgive your people
when they do what is wrong.
You don’t stay angry forever.
Instead, you take delight in showing
your faithful love to them.
19 Once again you will show loving concern for us.
You will completely wipe out
the evil things we’ve done.
You will throw all our sins
into the bottom of the sea.
20 You will be faithful to Jacob’s people.
You will show your love
to Abraham’s children.
You will do what you promised to do for our people.
You made that promise long ago.
Micah 1-7
New International Version
Micah 1-7
New International Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth(A) during the reigns of Jotham,(B) Ahaz(C) and Hezekiah,(D) kings of Judah(E)—the vision(F) he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear,(G) you peoples, all of you,(H)
listen, earth(I) and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness(J) against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.(K)
Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem
3 Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling(L) place;
he comes down(M) and treads on the heights of the earth.(N)
4 The mountains melt(O) beneath him(P)
and the valleys split apart,(Q)
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?(R)
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.(S)
I will pour her stones(T) into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.(U)
7 All her idols(V) will be broken to pieces;(W)
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.(X)
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,(Y)
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
Weeping and Mourning
8 Because of this I will weep(Z) and wail;
I will go about barefoot(AA) and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9 For Samaria’s plague(AB) is incurable;(AC)
it has spread to Judah.(AD)
It has reached the very gate(AE) of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.
10 Tell it not in Gath[a];
weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[b]
roll in the dust.
11 Pass by naked(AF) and in shame,
you who live in Shaphir.[c]
Those who live in Zaanan[d]
will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
it no longer protects you.
12 Those who live in Maroth[e] writhe in pain,
waiting for relief,(AG)
because disaster(AH) has come from the Lord,
even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,(AI)
harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion(AJ) began,
for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts(AK)
to Moresheth(AL) Gath.
The town of Akzib[f](AM) will prove deceptive(AN)
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will bring a conqueror against you
who live in Mareshah.[g](AO)
The nobles of Israel
will flee to Adullam.(AP)
16 Shave(AQ) your head in mourning
for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
for they will go from you into exile.(AR)
Human Plans and God’s Plans
2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil(AS) on their beds!(AT)
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields(AU) and seize them,(AV)
and houses, and take them.
They defraud(AW) people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.(AX)
3 Therefore, the Lord says:
“I am planning disaster(AY) against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,(AZ)
for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(BA)
my people’s possession is divided up.(BB)
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’”
False Prophets
6 “Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
“Do not prophesy about these things;
disgrace(BE) will not overtake us.(BF)”
7 You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
“Does the Lord become[h] impatient?
Does he do such things?”
“Do not my words do good(BG)
to the one whose ways are upright?(BH)
8 Lately my people have risen up
like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
from those who pass by without a care,
like men returning from battle.
9 You drive the women of my people
from their pleasant homes.(BI)
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
For this is not your resting place,(BJ)
because it is defiled,(BK)
it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(BL) comes and says,
‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(BM)
that would be just the prophet for this people!(BN)
Deliverance Promised
12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant(BO) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.(BP)
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before(BQ) them;
they will break through the gate(BR) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the Lord at their head.”
Leaders and Prophets Rebuked
3 Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders(BS) of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2 you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
and the flesh from their bones;(BT)
3 who eat my people’s flesh,(BU)
strip off their skin
and break their bones in pieces;(BV)
who chop(BW) them up like meat for the pan,
like flesh for the pot?(BX)”
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.(BY)
At that time he will hide his face(BZ) from them
because of the evil they have done.(CA)
5 This is what the Lord says:
“As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,(CB)
they proclaim ‘peace’(CC)
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination.(CD)
The sun will set for the prophets,(CE)
and the day will go dark for them.(CF)
7 The seers will be ashamed(CG)
and the diviners disgraced.(CH)
They will all cover(CI) their faces(CJ)
because there is no answer from God.(CK)”
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin.(CL)
9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right;(CM)
10 who build(CN) Zion with bloodshed,(CO)
and Jerusalem with wickedness.(CP)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(CQ)
her priests teach for a price,(CR)
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(CS)
Yet they look(CT) for the Lord’s support and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No disaster will come upon us.”(CU)
12 Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(CV)
the temple(CW) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(CX)
The Mountain of the Lord(CY)
4 In the last days
the mountain(CZ) of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,(DA)
and peoples will stream to it.(DB)
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(DC)
to the temple of the God of Jacob.(DD)
He will teach us(DE) his ways,(DF)
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(DG) 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.(DH)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.(DI)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war(DJ) anymore.(DK)
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,(DL)
and no one will make them afraid,(DM)
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.(DN)
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,(DO)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever.(DP)
The Lord’s Plan
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will gather the lame;(DQ)
I will assemble the exiles(DR)
and those I have brought to grief.(DS)
7 I will make the lame my remnant,(DT)
those driven away a strong nation.(DU)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion(DV)
from that day and forever.(DW)
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold[i] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored(DX) to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.(DY)”
9 Why do you now cry aloud—
have you no king[j](DZ)?
Has your ruler[k] perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?(EA)
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;(EB)
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem(EC) you
out of the hand of your enemies.
11 But now many nations
are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
let our eyes gloat(ED) over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,(EE)
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh,(EF) 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.”(EG)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,(EH)
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
5 [l]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek(EI) with a rod.
2 “But you, Bethlehem(EJ) Ephrathah,(EK)
though you are small among the clans[m] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler(EL) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,(EM)
from ancient times.”(EN)
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned(EO)
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 flock(EP)
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 greatness(EQ)
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace(ER)
when the Assyrians invade(ES) our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,(ET)
6 who will rule[n] the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(EU) with drawn sword.[o](EV)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.(EW)
7 The remnant(EX) of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew(EY) from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,(EZ)
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,(FA)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles(FB) as it goes,
and no one can rescue.(FC)
9 Your hand will be lifted up(FD) 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.(FE)
11 I will destroy the cities(FF) of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.(FG)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
and you will no longer cast spells.(FH)
13 I will destroy your idols(FI)
and your sacred stones from among you;(FJ)
you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.(FK)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles[p](FL)
when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance(FM) 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;(FN)
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 “Hear,(FO) you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;(FP)
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case(FQ) against his people;
he is lodging a charge(FR) against Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened(FS) you?(FT) Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt(FU)
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.(FV)
I sent Moses(FW) to lead you,
also Aaron(FX) and Miriam.(FY)
5 My people, remember
what Balak(FZ) king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim(GA) to Gilgal,(GB)
that you may know the righteous acts(GC) of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before(GD) the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?(GE)
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(GF)
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(GG)
Shall I offer my firstborn(GH) for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(GI)
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(GJ) and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[q](GK) with your God.(GL)
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
and to fear your name is wisdom—
“Heed the rod(GM) and the One who appointed it.[r]
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah,[s] which is accursed?(GN)
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,(GO)
with a bag of false weights?(GP)
12 Your rich people are violent;(GQ)
your inhabitants are liars(GR)
and their tongues speak deceitfully.(GS)
13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy(GT) you,
to ruin[t] you because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;(GU)
your stomach will still be empty.[u]
You will store up but save nothing,(GV)
because what you save[v] I will give to the sword.
15 You will plant but not harvest;(GW)
you will press olives but not use the oil,
you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.(GX)
16 You have observed the statutes of Omri(GY)
and all the practices of Ahab’s(GZ) house;
you have followed their traditions.(HA)
Therefore I will give you over to ruin(HB)
and your people to derision;
you will bear the scorn(HC) of the nations.[w]”
Israel’s Misery
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 figs(HD) that I crave.
2 The faithful have been swept from the land;(HE)
not one(HF) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait(HG) to shed blood;(HH)
they hunt each other(HI) with nets.(HJ)
3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil;(HK)
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,(HL)
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,(HM)
the most upright worse than a thorn(HN) hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.(HO)
5 Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.(HP)
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,(HQ)
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.(HR)
7 But as for me, I watch(HS) in hope(HT) for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear(HU) me.
Israel Will Rise
8 Do not gloat over me,(HV) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.(HW)
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.(HX)
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,(HY)
until he pleads my case(HZ)
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;(IA)
I will see his righteousness.(IB)
10 Then my enemy will see it
and will be covered with shame,(IC)
she who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”(ID)
My eyes will see her downfall;(IE)
even now she will be trampled(IF) underfoot
like mire in the streets.
11 The day for building your walls(IG) will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day people will come to you
from Assyria(IH) and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.(II)
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.(IJ)
Prayer and Praise
14 Shepherd(IK) your people with your staff,(IL)
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
in fertile pasturelands.[x](IM)
Let them feed in Bashan(IN) and Gilead(IO)
as in days long ago.(IP)
15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.(IQ)”
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,(IR)
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths(IS)
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust(IT) like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling(IU) out of their dens;
they will turn in fear(IV) to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a God(IW) like you,
who pardons sin(IX) and forgives(IY) the transgression
of the remnant(IZ) of his inheritance?(JA)
You do not stay angry(JB) forever
but delight to show mercy.(JC)
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities(JD) into the depths of the sea.(JE)
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,(JF)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors(JG)
in days long ago.(JH)
Footnotes
- Micah 1:10 Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.
- Micah 1:10 Beth Ophrah means house of dust.
- Micah 1:11 Shaphir means pleasant.
- Micah 1:11 Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.
- Micah 1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter.
- Micah 1:14 Akzib means deception.
- Micah 1:15 Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.
- Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord
- Micah 4:8 Or hill
- Micah 4:9 Or King
- Micah 4:9 Or Ruler
- Micah 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:14, and 5:2-15 is numbered 5:1-14.
- Micah 5:2 Or rulers
- Micah 5:6 Or crush
- Micah 5:6 Or Nimrod in its gates
- Micah 5:14 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
- Micah 6:8 Or prudently
- Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Micah 6:10 An ephah was a dry measure.
- Micah 6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin
- Micah 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Micah 6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth
- Micah 6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people
- Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel
New International Reader's Version (NIRV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.