Micah 2:6-3:12
New American Standard Bible
6 ‘(A)Do not prophesy,’ so they prophesy.
But if [a]they do (B)not prophesy about these things,
(C)Insults will not be turned back.
7 Is it being said, house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord (D)impatient?
Are these His works?’
Do My words not (E)do good
For the one (F)walking rightly?
8 [b]Recently My people have arisen as an (G)enemy—
You (H)strip the robe off the garment
From (I)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 You (J)evict the women of My people,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My (K)splendor forever.
10 Arise and go,
For this is no place (L)of rest
Because of the (M)uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 If someone walking after wind and (N)falsehood
Had lied and said,
‘I will prophesy to you about (O)wine and liquor,’
He would become a prophet to (P)this people.
12 “I will certainly (Q)assemble all of you, Jacob,
I will certainly gather the (R)remnant of Israel.
I will put them together like sheep in the fold;
Like a flock in the midst of its pasture
They will be noisy with people.
13 The one who breaks through goes up before them;
They break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it.
So their king passes on before them,
And the Lord at their head.”
Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“(S)Hear now, you [c]leaders of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not for you to (T)know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
Who (U)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who (V)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Smash their bones,
And (W)chop them up as for the pot,
And as meat in a cauldron!”
4 Then they will (X)cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (Y)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (Z)practiced evil deeds.
5 This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who (AA)lead my people astray:
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (AB)cry out, “Peace!”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be (AC)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (AD)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be (AE)put to shame,
And the (AF)diviners will be ashamed.
Indeed, they will all (AG)cover their [d]lips
Because there is (AH)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand, (AI)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To (AJ)make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, you (AK)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (AL)despise justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (AM)build Zion with bloodshed,
And Jerusalem with malice.
11 Her leaders pronounce (AN)judgment for a bribe,
Her (AO)priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“(AP)Is the Lord not in our midst?
Catastrophe will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you,
(AQ)Zion will be plowed like a field,
(AR)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (AS)mountain of the [e]temple will become high places of a forest.
Footnotes
- Micah 2:6 I.e., God’s prophets
- Micah 2:8 Lit And yesterday
- Micah 3:1 Lit heads
- Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
- Micah 3:12 Lit house
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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