Micah 3-7

New International Version

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

3 Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders^(A) 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;^(B)
³who eat my people’s flesh,^(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;^(D)
who chop^(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?^(F)”

⁴Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.^(G)
At that time he will hide his face^(H) from them
because of the evil they have done.^(I)

⁵This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,^(J)
they proclaim ‘peace’^(K)
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
⁶Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.^(L)
The sun will set for the prophets,^(M)
    and the day will go dark for them.^(N)
⁷The seers will be ashamed^(O)
    and the diviners disgraced.^(P)
They will all cover^(Q) their faces^(R)
    because there is no answer from God.^(S)”
⁸But 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.^(T)

⁹Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;^(U)
¹⁰who build^(V) Zion with bloodshed,^(W)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.^(X)
¹¹Her leaders judge for a bribe,^(Y)
    her priests teach for a price,^(Z)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.^(AA)
Yet they look^(AB) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”^(AC)
¹²Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,^(AD)
    the temple^(AE) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.^(AF)

The Mountain of the Lord^(AG)

4 In the last days

the mountain^(AH) of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,^(AI)
and peoples will stream to it.^(AJ)

²Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,^(AK)
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.^(AL)
He will teach us^(AM) his ways,^(AN)
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law^(AO) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
³He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.^(AP)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.^(AQ)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war^(AR) anymore.^(AS)
⁴Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,^(AT)
and no one will make them afraid,^(AU)
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.^(AV)
⁵All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,^(AW)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.^(AX)

The Lord’s Plan

⁶“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will gather the lame;^(AY)
    I will assemble the exiles^(AZ)
    and those I have brought to grief.^(BA)
⁷I will make the lame my remnant,^(BB)
    those driven away a strong nation.^(BC)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion^(BD)
    from that day and forever.^(BE)
⁸As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold^[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored^(BF) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.^(BG)”

⁹Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king^[b]^(BH)?
Has your ruler^[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?^(BI)
¹⁰Writhe 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;^(BJ)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem^(BK) you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

¹¹But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat^(BL) over Zion!”
¹²But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,^(BM)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
¹³“Rise and thresh,^(BN) 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.”^(BO)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,^(BP)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

5 ^[d]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek^(BQ) with a rod.

²“But you, Bethlehem^(BR) Ephrathah,^(BS)
    though you are small among the clans^[e] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler^(BT) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,^(BU)
    from ancient times.”^(BV)

³Therefore Israel will be abandoned^(BW)
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.

⁴He will stand and shepherd his flock^(BX)
    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^(BY)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵And he will be our peace^(BZ)
    when the Assyrians invade^(CA) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,^(CB)
⁶who will rule^[f] the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod^(CC) with drawn sword.^[g]^(CD)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.^(CE)

⁷The remnant^(CF) of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew^(CG) from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,^(CH)
which do not wait for anyone
    or depend on man.
⁸The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,^(CI)
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles^(CJ) as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.^(CK)
⁹Your hand will be lifted up^(CL) 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.^(CM)
¹¹I will destroy the cities^(CN) of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.^(CO)
¹²I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.^(CP)
¹³I will destroy your idols^(CQ)
    and your sacred stones from among you;^(CR)
you will no longer bow down
    to the work of your hands.^(CS)
¹⁴I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles^[h]^(CT)
    when I demolish your cities.
¹⁵I will take vengeance^(CU) 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;^(CV)
let the hills hear what you have to say.

²“Hear,^(CW) you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;^(CX)
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case^(CY) against his people;
he is lodging a charge^(CZ) against Israel.

³“My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened^(DA) you?^(DB) Answer me.
⁴I brought you up out of Egypt^(DC)
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.^(DD)
I sent Moses^(DE) to lead you,
    also Aaron^(DF) and Miriam.^(DG)
⁵My people, remember
    what Balak^(DH) king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim^(DI) to Gilgal,^(DJ)
    that you may know the righteous acts^(DK) of the Lord.”

⁶With what shall I come before^(DL) the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?^(DM)
⁷Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,^(DN)
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?^(DO)
Shall I offer my firstborn^(DP) for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?^(DQ)
⁸He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly^(DR) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly^[i]^(DS) with your God.^(DT)

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

⁹Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
    and to fear your name is wisdom—
    “Heed the rod^(DU) and the One who appointed it.^[j]
¹⁰Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
    and the short ephah,^[k] which is accursed?^(DV)
¹¹Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,^(DW)
    with a bag of false weights?^(DX)
¹²Your rich people are violent;^(DY)
    your inhabitants are liars^(DZ)
    and their tongues speak deceitfully.^(EA)
¹³Therefore, I have begun to destroy^(EB) you,
    to ruin^[l] you because of your sins.
¹⁴You will eat but not be satisfied;^(EC)
    your stomach will still be empty.^[m]
You will store up but save nothing,^(ED)
    because what you save^[n] I will give to the sword.
¹⁵You will plant but not harvest;^(EE)
    you will press olives but not use the oil,
    you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.^(EF)
¹⁶You have observed the statutes of Omri^(EG)
    and all the practices of Ahab’s^(EH) house;
    you have followed their traditions.^(EI)
Therefore I will give you over to ruin^(EJ)
    and your people to derision;
    you will bear the scorn^(EK) of the nations.^[o]”

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^(EL) that I crave.
²The faithful have been swept from the land;^(EM)
    not one^(EN) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait^(EO) to shed blood;^(EP)
    they hunt each other^(EQ) with nets.^(ER)
³Both hands are skilled in doing evil;^(ES)
    the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,^(ET)
    the powerful dictate what they desire—
    they all conspire together.
⁴The best of them is like a brier,^(EU)
    the most upright worse than a thorn^(EV) hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
    the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
    Now is the time of your confusion.^(EW)
⁵Do not trust a neighbor;
    put no confidence in a friend.^(EX)
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
    guard the words of your lips.
⁶For a son dishonors his father,
    a daughter rises up against her mother,^(EY)
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
    a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.^(EZ)

⁷But as for me, I watch^(FA) in hope^(FB) for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear^(FC) me.

Israel Will Rise

⁸Do not gloat over me,^(FD) my enemy!
    Though I have fallen, I will rise.^(FE)
Though I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be my light.^(FF)
⁹Because I have sinned against him,
    I will bear the Lord’s wrath,^(FG)
until he pleads my case^(FH)
    and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;^(FI)
    I will see his righteousness.^(FJ)
¹⁰Then my enemy will see it
    and will be covered with shame,^(FK)
she who said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”^(FL)
My eyes will see her downfall;^(FM)
    even now she will be trampled^(FN) underfoot
    like mire in the streets.

¹¹The day for building your walls^(FO) will come,
    the day for extending your boundaries.
¹²In that day people will come to you
    from Assyria^(FP) and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
    and from sea to sea
    and from mountain to mountain.^(FQ)
¹³The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
    as the result of their deeds.^(FR)

Prayer and Praise

¹⁴Shepherd^(FS) your people with your staff,^(FT)
    the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
    in fertile pasturelands.^[p]^(FU)
Let them feed in Bashan^(FV) and Gilead^(FW)
    as in days long ago.^(FX)

¹⁵“As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.^(FY)”

¹⁶Nations will see and be ashamed,^(FZ)
    deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths^(GA)
    and their ears will become deaf.
¹⁷They will lick dust^(GB) like a snake,
    like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling^(GC) out of their dens;
    they will turn in fear^(GD) to the Lord our God
    and will be afraid of you.
¹⁸Who is a God^(GE) like you,
    who pardons sin^(GF) and forgives^(GG) the transgression
    of the remnant^(GH) of his inheritance?^(GI)
You do not stay angry^(GJ) forever
    but delight to show mercy.^(GK)
¹⁹You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities^(GL) into the depths of the sea.^(GM)
²⁰You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,^(GN)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors^(GO)
    in days long ago.^(GP)

Footnotes

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