Micah 5-7
Christian Standard Bible
From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King
5 Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge(A) of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
2 Bethlehem Ephrathah,(B)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
one will come from you(C)
to be ruler over Israel for me.(D)
His origin[a] is from antiquity,(E)
from ancient times.
3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned(F) until the time
when she who is in labor(G) has given birth;
then the rest of the ruler’s brothers(H) will return
to the people of Israel.(I)
4 He will stand and shepherd them(J)
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majestic name of the Lord his God.
They will live securely,
for then his greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.(K)
5 He will be their peace.(L)
When Assyria invades our land,(M)
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
6 They will shepherd(N) the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(O) with a drawn blade.[b]
So he will rescue us(P) from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.
The Glorious and Purified Remnant
7 Then the remnant of Jacob(Q)
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord,(R)
like showers on the grass,(S)
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
8 Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,(T)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples(U) and tears(V) as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.(W)
9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,(X)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will remove your horses from you(Y)
and wreck your chariots.
11 I will remove the cities of your land(Z)
and tear down all your fortresses.(AA)
12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,(AB)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
13 I will remove your carved images(AC)
and sacred pillars from you
so that you will no longer worship
the work of your hands.
14 I will pull up the Asherah poles(AD) from among you(AE)
and demolish your cities.[c]
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath(AF)
against the nations that have not obeyed me.
God’s Lawsuit against Judah
6 Now listen to what the Lord is saying:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your complaint.[d]
2 Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit,(AG)
you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth,(AH)
because the Lord has a case against his people,(AI)
and he will argue it against Israel.
3 My people,(AJ) what have I done to you,(AK)
or how have I wearied you?(AL)
Testify against me!
4 Indeed, I brought you up(AM) from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you(AN) from that place of slavery.(AO)
I sent Moses,(AP) Aaron, and Miriam(AQ) ahead of you.
5 My people,
remember what King Balak of Moab(AR) proposed,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,(AS)
and what happened from the Acacia Grove[e](AT) to Gilgal(AU)
so that you may acknowledge
the Lord’s righteous acts.(AV)
6 What should I bring before the Lord(AW)
when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before him with burnt offerings,(AX)
with year-old calves?
7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams(AY)
or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,(AZ)
the offspring of my body for my own sin?
8 Mankind, he has told each of you what is good(BA)
and what it is the Lord requires of you:(BB)
to act justly,(BC)
to love faithfulness,(BD)
and to walk humbly with your God.(BE)
Verdict of Judgment
9 The voice of the Lord calls out to the city[f]
(and it is wise to fear your name):
“Pay attention to the rod
and the one who ordained it.[g]
10 Are there still[h] the treasures of wickedness(BF)
and the accursed short measure(BG)
in the house of the wicked?
11 Can I excuse wicked scales
or bags of deceptive weights?(BH)
12 For the wealthy of the city are full of violence,(BI)
and its residents speak lies;(BJ)
the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.(BK)
13 “As a result, I have begun to strike you severely,[i](BL)
bringing desolation because of your sins.(BM)
14 You will eat but not be satisfied,(BN)
for there will be hunger within you.
What you acquire, you cannot save,(BO)
and what you do save,
I will give to the sword.[j]
15 You will sow but not reap;(BP)
you will press olives
but not anoint yourself with oil;
and you will tread grapes
but not drink the wine.(BQ)
16 The statutes of Omri
and all the practices of Ahab’s house
have been observed;
you have followed their policies.(BR)
Therefore, I will make you a desolate place(BS)
and the city’s[k] residents an object of contempt;[l](BT)
you will bear the scorn of my people.”[m](BU)
Israel’s Moral Decline
7 How sad for me!
For I am like one who—
when the summer fruit has been gathered
after the gleaning of the grape harvest(BV)—
finds no grape cluster to eat,
no early fig, which I crave.(BW)
2 Faithful people have vanished from the land;(BX)
there is no one upright among the people.(BY)
All of them wait in ambush to shed blood;(BZ)
they hunt each other with a net.(CA)
3 Both hands are good(CB) at accomplishing evil:
the official and the judge demand a bribe;(CC)
when the powerful man communicates his evil desire,
they plot it together.
4 The best of them is like a brier;(CD)
the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns.(CE)
The day of your watchmen,
the day of your punishment, is coming;(CF)
at this time their panic is here.(CG)
5 Do not rely on a friend;(CH)
don’t trust in a close companion.
Seal your mouth
from the woman who lies in your arms.
6 Surely a son considers his father a fool,(CI)
a daughter opposes her mother,
and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
7 But I will look to the Lord;(CJ)
I will wait for the God of my salvation.(CK)
My God will hear me.(CL)
Zion’s Vindication
8 Do not rejoice over me,(CM) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will stand up;(CN)
though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.(CO)
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I must endure the Lord’s fury
until he champions my cause(CP)
and establishes justice for me.(CQ)
He will bring me into the light;(CR)
I will see his salvation.[n](CS)
10 Then my enemy will see,
and she will be covered with shame,
the one who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?” (CT)
My eyes will look at her in triumph;
at that time she will be trampled
like mud in the streets.(CU)
11 A day will come for rebuilding your walls;(CV)
on that day your boundary will be extended.(CW)
12 On that day people will come to you(CX)
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates River
and from sea to sea
and mountain to mountain.
13 Then the earth will become a wasteland(CY)
because of its inhabitants
and as a result of their actions.(CZ)
Micah’s Prayer Answered
14 Shepherd your people(DA) with your staff,(DB)
the flock that is your possession.
They live alone(DC) in a woodland
surrounded by pastures.
Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead(DD)
as in ancient times.(DE)
15 I will perform miracles for them[o]
as in the days of your exodus
from the land of Egypt.(DF)
16 Nations will see and be ashamed
of[p] all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths,(DG)
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick the dust like a snake;(DH)
they will come trembling out of their hiding places(DI)
like reptiles slithering on the ground.(DJ)
They will tremble in the presence of the Lord our God;(DK)
they will stand in awe of you.
18 Who is a God like you,(DL)
forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion(DM)
for the remnant of his inheritance?(DN)
He does not hold on to his anger forever(DO)
because he delights in faithful love.(DP)
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will vanquish our iniquities.(DQ)
You will cast all our[q] sins
into the depths of the sea.(DR)
20 You will show loyalty to Jacob(DS)
and faithful love to Abraham,
as you swore to our ancestors(DT)
from days long ago.
Footnotes
- 5:2 Lit His going out
- 5:6 Aq, Vg; MT, Sym read Nimrod at its gateways
- 5:14 Or shrines
- 6:1 Lit voice
- 6:5 Or from Shittim
- 6:9 = Jerusalem
- 6:9 Or attention, you tribe. Who has ordained it?; Hb obscure
- 6:10 Hb obscure
- 6:13 LXX, Aq, Theod, Syr, Vg; MT reads I have made you sick by striking you down
- 6:14 Hb obscure
- 6:16 Lit and its
- 6:16 Lit residents a hissing
- 6:16 LXX reads of the peoples
- 7:9 Or righteousness
- 7:15 = Israel
- 7:16 Or ashamed in spite of
- 7:19 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read their
Revelation 3-4
Christian Standard Bible
The Letter to Sardis
3 “Write to the angel[a] of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God(A) and the seven stars:(B) I know your works; (C) you have a reputation[b] for being alive, but you are dead.(D) 2 Be alert(E) and strengthen[c] what remains, which is about to die,[d] for I have not found your works complete before my God. 3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come[e] like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.(F) 4 But you have a few people[f] in Sardis who have not defiled[g] their clothes,(G) and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.
5 “In the same way, the one who conquers(H) will be dressed in white clothes,(I) and I will never erase his name from the book of life(J) but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.(K)
6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen(L) to what the Spirit says(M) to the churches.
The Letter to Philadelphia
7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one,(N) the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: (O) 8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(P) 9 Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet,(Q) and they will know that I have loved you.(R) 10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing(S) that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.(T) 11 I am coming soon.(U) Hold on to what you have,(V) so that no one takes your crown.(W)
12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar(X) in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem,(Y) which comes down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.(Z)
13 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Letter to Laodicea
14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, (AA) the faithful and true witness, the originator[h](AB) of God’s creation: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit[i] you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’(AC) and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich,(AD) white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed,(AE) and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.(AF) So be zealous and repent. 20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.(AG)
21 “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,(AH) just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The Throne Room of Heaven
4 After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet(AI) said, “Come up here,(AJ) and I will show you what must take place after this.”(AK)
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit,(AL) and there was a throne in heaven(AM) and someone was seated on it. 3 The one seated[j] there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone.(AN) A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne.(AO)
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders(AP) dressed in white clothes,(AQ) with golden crowns on their heads.(AR)
5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne.(AS) Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.(AT) 6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne.(AU)
Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side. 7 The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like an ox; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.(AV) 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings;(AW) they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night(AX) they never stop,[k] saying,
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God, the Almighty,
who was, who is, and who is to come.(AY)
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever,(AZ) 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne(BA) and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne and say,
11 Our Lord and God,[l]
you are worthy(BB) to receive
glory and honor and power,(BC)
because you have created all things,(BD)
and by your will
they exist and were created.
Footnotes
- 3:1 Or messenger, also in vv. 7,14
- 3:1 Or have a name
- 3:2 Other mss read guard
- 3:2 Or strengthen who remain, who are about to die
- 3:3 Other mss add upon you
- 3:4 Lit few names
- 3:4 Or soiled
- 3:14 Or beginning, or ruler
- 3:16 Or spit
- 4:3 Other mss omit The one seated
- 4:8 Or rest
- 4:11 Some mss add the Holy One; other mss read Lord
Psalm 143:1-3
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 143
A Cry for Help
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, hear my prayer.
In your faithfulness listen to my plea,
and in your righteousness answer me.(A)
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,(B)
for no one alive is righteous in your sight.(C)
3 For the enemy has pursued me,
crushing me to the ground,
making me live in darkness
like those long dead.(D)
Proverbs 30:24-28
Christian Standard Bible
24 Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25 ants are not a strong people,
yet they store up their food in the summer;(A)
26 hyraxes are not a mighty people,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs;(B)
27 locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in ranks;(C)
28 a lizard[a] can be caught in your hands,
yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
Footnotes
- 30:28 Or spider
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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