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Peace and Security through Obedience

In days to come
    the mountain of the Lord’s temple
shall be established as the highest of the mountains
    and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it,(A)
    and many nations shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(B)
He shall judge between many peoples
    and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
    neither shall they learn war any more;(C)
but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
    and no one shall make them afraid,
    for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.(D)

For all the peoples walk,
    each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
    forever and ever.(E)

Restoration Promised after Exile

On that day, says the Lord,
    I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away
    and those whom I have afflicted.(F)
The lame I will make the remnant,
    and those who were cast off, a strong nation,
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
    now and forevermore.(G)

And you, O tower of the flock,
    hill of daughter Zion,
to you it shall come,
    the former dominion shall come,
    the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.(H)

Now why do you cry aloud?
    Is there no king in you?
Has your counselor perished,
    that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?(I)
10 Writhe and groan,[a] O daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you shall go forth from the city
    and camp in the open country;
    you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued;
    there the Lord will redeem you
    from the hands of your enemies.(J)

11 Now many nations
    are assembled against you,
saying, “Let her be profaned,
    and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”(K)
12 But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
    that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.(L)
13 Arise and thresh,
    O daughter Zion,
for I will make your horn iron
    and your hoofs bronze;
you shall beat in pieces many peoples
    and shall[b] devote their gain to the Lord,
    their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.(M)

[c]Now you are walled around with a wall;[d]
    siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel
    upon the cheek.(N)

The Ruler from Bethlehem

[e]But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
    who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
    from ancient days.(O)
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
    when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
    to the people of Israel.(P)
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth,(Q)
and he shall be the one of peace.

    If the Assyrians come into our land
    and tread upon our soil,[f]
we will raise against them seven shepherds
    and eight rulers.(R)
They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword
    and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword;[g]
they[h] shall rescue us from the Assyrians
    if they come into our land
    or tread within our border.(S)

The Future Role of the Remnant

Then the remnant of Jacob,
    surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like dew from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,
which do not depend upon people
    or wait for any mortal.(T)
And among the nations the remnant of Jacob,
    surrounded by many peoples,
shall be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
    like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it goes through, treads down
    and tears in pieces, with no one to deliver.(U)
Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
    and all your enemies shall be cut off.(V)

10 On that day, says the Lord,
    I will cut off your horses from among you
    and will destroy your chariots;(W)
11 and I will cut off the cities of your land
    and destroy all your strongholds;(X)
12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
    and you shall have no more soothsayers;(Y)
13 and I will cut off your images
    and your pillars from among you,
and you shall bow down no more
    to the work of your hands;
14 and I will uproot your sacred poles[i] from among you
    and destroy your towns.(Z)
15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
    on the nations that did not obey.(AA)

Footnotes

  1. 4.10 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 4.13 Gk Syr Tg: Heb and I will
  3. 5.1 4.14 in Heb
  4. 5.1 Cn Compare Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 5.2 5.1 in Heb
  6. 5.5 Gk: Heb in our palaces
  7. 5.6 Cn: Heb in its entrances
  8. 5.6 Heb he
  9. 5.14 Or Asherahs

The Mountain of the Lord(A)

In the last days

the mountain(B) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,(C)
    and peoples will stream to it.(D)

Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(E)
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.(F)
He will teach us(G) his ways,(H)
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(I) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.(J)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(K)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war(L) anymore.(M)
Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,(N)
and no one will make them afraid,(O)
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.(P)
All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,(Q)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.(R)

The Lord’s Plan

“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will gather the lame;(S)
    I will assemble the exiles(T)
    and those I have brought to grief.(U)
I will make the lame my remnant,(V)
    those driven away a strong nation.(W)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion(X)
    from that day and forever.(Y)
As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored(Z) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.(AA)

Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king[b](AB)?
Has your ruler[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?(AC)
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;(AD)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem(AE) 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(AF) over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,(AG)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh,(AH) 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.”(AI)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,(AJ)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

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

“But you, Bethlehem(AL) Ephrathah,(AM)
    though you are small among the clans[e] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler(AN) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,(AO)
    from ancient times.”(AP)

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

He will stand and shepherd his flock(AR)
    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(AS)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be our peace(AT)
    when the Assyrians invade(AU) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,(AV)
who will rule[f] the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod(AW) with drawn sword.[g](AX)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.(AY)

The remnant(AZ) of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew(BA) from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,(BB)
which do not wait for anyone
    or depend on man.
The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,(BC)
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles(BD) as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.(BE)
Your hand will be lifted up(BF) 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.(BG)
11 I will destroy the cities(BH) of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.(BI)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.(BJ)
13 I will destroy your idols(BK)
    and your sacred stones from among you;(BL)
you will no longer bow down
    to the work of your hands.(BM)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles[h](BN)
    when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance(BO) in anger and wrath
    on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:8 Or hill
  2. Micah 4:9 Or King
  3. Micah 4:9 Or Ruler
  4. Micah 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:14, and 5:2-15 is numbered 5:1-14.
  5. Micah 5:2 Or rulers
  6. Micah 5:6 Or crush
  7. Micah 5:6 Or Nimrod in its gates
  8. Micah 5:14 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth.(A) Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems on his heads.(B) His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to deliver a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.(C) And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule[a] all the nations with a scepter of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne,(D) and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days.(E)

Michael Defeats the Dragon

And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back,(F) but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.(G)

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven proclaiming,

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God
    and the authority of his Messiah,[b]
for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down,
    who accuses them day and night before our God.(H)
11 But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.(I)
12 Rejoice then, you heavens
    and those who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
    for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath
    because he knows that his time is short!”(J)

The Dragon Fights Again on Earth

13 So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued[c] the woman who had delivered the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.(K) 15 Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.(L) 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.(M)

The First Beast

18 Then the dragon[d] took his stand on the sand of the seashore.

Footnotes

  1. 12.5 Or to shepherd
  2. 12.10 Gk Christ
  3. 12.13 Or persecuted
  4. 12.18 Gk Then he; other ancient authorities read Then I stood

The Woman and the Dragon

12 A great sign(A) appeared in heaven:(B) a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars(C) on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain(D) as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven:(E) an enormous red dragon(F) with seven heads(G) and ten horns(H) and seven crowns(I) on its heads. Its tail swept a third(J) of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.(K) The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child(L) the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[a](M) And her child was snatched up(N) to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.(O)

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael(P) and his angels fought against the dragon,(Q) and the dragon and his angels(R) fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent(S) called the devil,(T) or Satan,(U) who leads the whole world astray.(V) He was hurled to the earth,(W) and his angels with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven(X) say:

“Now have come the salvation(Y) and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,(Z)
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over(AA) him
    by the blood of the Lamb(AB)
    and by the word of their testimony;(AC)
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.(AD)
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens(AE)
    and you who dwell in them!
But woe(AF) to the earth and the sea,(AG)
    because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
    because he knows that his time is short.”

13 When the dragon(AH) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.(AI) 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,(AJ) so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time,(AK) out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent(AL) spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war(AM) against the rest of her offspring(AN)—those who keep God’s commands(AO) and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.(AP)

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 12:5 Psalm 2:9