弥迦书 4
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
錫安末後必為萬國的中心(A)
4 到末後的日子，
耶和華殿的山，
必矗立在萬山之上，
高舉過於萬嶺；
萬民都要流歸這山。
2 必有多國的人前來說：
“來吧！我們上耶和華的山，
登雅各 神的殿；
他必把他的道路指示我們，
我們也要遵行他的道；
因為教訓必出於錫安。
耶和華的話要來自耶路撒冷。
世界和平
3 “他要在多族中施行審判，
為遠方的強國斷定是非。
他們必把刀劍打成犁頭，
把矛槍打成鐮刀；
這國不舉刀攻擊那國，
他們也不再學習戰事。
4 各人都要坐在自己的葡萄樹，
和無花果樹下，
無人驚嚇他們，
因為萬軍之耶和華親口說過了。
5 雖然，萬民各奉自己神的名行事，
我們卻要永遠奉耶和華我們 神的名而行。”
被擄到各處的必重歸故土
6 耶和華說：“到那日，
我必召聚瘸腿的，
集合被趕散的，
和我所苦待的。
7 我必使瘸腿的作餘民；
使被放逐的成為強國；
耶和華必在錫安山作王統治他們，
從現在直到永遠。
8 你這羊群的守望樓啊！
錫安女子的俄斐勒啊！
從前的權柄，必歸給你，
就是耶路撒冷女子的國權，
要歸還給你。
9 現在你為甚麼大聲呼喊？
難道你們中間沒有君王嗎？
或是你的謀士滅亡了，
以致疼痛抓緊你，好像臨產的婦人呢？
10 錫安的女子啊！
你要疼痛劬勞，
好像臨產的婦人；
因為現在你要從城裡出來，
住在田野，
一定要到巴比倫去；
在那裡你要蒙拯救，
在那裡耶和華必救贖你，
脫離仇敵的掌握。
11 現在多國的民集合起來，
攻擊你，說：‘願錫安被蹂躪，
願我們親眼看見錫安遭報應。’”
錫安必得最後勝利
12 但是，他們卻不知道耶和華的意念，
也不明白他的謀略；
他收集他們，好像把禾捆收集到禾場一樣。
13 錫安的女子啊！起來踹穀吧！
因為我必使你的角成為鐵，
使你的蹄成為銅；
你必粉碎許多民族，
毀滅他們所得的不義之財，作為祭物獻與耶和華，
把他們的財寶獻給全地的主。
弥迦书 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
耶路撒冷的将来
4 在末后的日子，
耶和华殿所在的山必超乎群山，
高过众岭，
万民都要归向它。
2 多国的民都要前来，说：
“来吧，让我们登耶和华的山，
去雅各之上帝的殿。
祂必指示我们当行的路，
我们也要遵行祂的道。”
因为训诲必出于锡安，
耶和华的话语必来自耶路撒冷。
3 祂要在各民族中施行审判，
为远方的强国断定是非。
他们要把刀剑铸成犁头，
把矛枪打成镰刀。
国与国之间不再动刀枪，
也不再学习战争。
4 人人都安然坐在自己的葡萄树和无花果树下，
不再担惊受怕。
这是万军之耶和华亲口说的。
5 万民都遵从自己的神明，
但我们要永远遵从我们的上帝耶和华。
6 耶和华说：
“到那日，我要聚集瘸腿的，
招聚被掳的和被我惩罚的。
7 我要使瘸腿的成为余民，
让被掳的成为强国。
耶和华要在锡安山做王治理他们，
从那时直到永远。
8 “你这羊群的瞭望塔，
锡安城[a]的坚垒啊！
从前的国权——
耶路撒冷城的王位必重新归你。”
9 现在你为何大声哭喊？
是因为你没有王吗？
难道你的谋士都死了吗，
以致你像分娩的妇人一样痛苦不堪？
10 锡安的百姓啊，
你们要像分娩的妇人一样辗转呻吟，
因为你们现在要离开这城，
住在荒野，被掳到巴比伦。
在那里，你们将得到解救；
在那里，耶和华必从敌人手中救赎你们。
11 现在许多国家一起来攻击你们，说：
“愿锡安遭蹂躏，
我们要看着锡安被毁灭。”
12 他们却不知道耶和华的心意，
也不明白祂的计划。
祂聚集他们是要惩罚他们，
像把禾捆堆积在麦场一样。
13 耶和华说：
“锡安城啊，
起来打谷吧！
我要给你铁角，
我要给你铜蹄。
你要打碎列国，
将他们的不义之财献给耶和华，
把他们的财富献给普天下的主。”
Micah 4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
II. Oracles of Salvation
Chapter 4
1 [a]In days to come
the mount of the Lord’s house
Shall be established as the highest mountain;
it shall be raised above the hills,
And peoples shall stream to it:(A)
2 Many nations shall come, and say,
“Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
that we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples
and set terms for strong and distant nations;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
4 They shall all sit under their own vines,
under their own fig trees, undisturbed;
for the Lord of hosts has spoken.(B)
5 Though all the peoples walk,
each in the name of its god,
We will walk in the name of the Lord,
our God, forever and ever.
6 [b]On that day—oracle of the Lord—
I will gather the lame,
And I will assemble the outcasts,
and those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will make of the lame a remnant,
and of the weak a strong nation;
The Lord shall be king over them on Mount Zion,
from now on and forever.(C)
8 And you, O tower of the flock,[c]
hill of daughter Zion!
To you it shall come:
the former dominion shall be restored,
the reign of daughter Jerusalem.
9 Now why do you cry out so?
Are you without a king?
Or has your adviser perished,
That you are seized with pains
like a woman in labor?
10 [d]Writhe, go into labor,
O daughter Zion,
like a woman giving birth;
For now you shall leave the city
and camp in the fields;
To Babylon you shall go,
there you shall be rescued.
There the Lord shall redeem you
from the hand of your enemies.
11 [e]And now many nations are gathered against you!
They say, “Let her be profaned,
let our eyes see Zion’s downfall!”
12 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,
nor understand his plan:
He has gathered them
like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, O daughter Zion;
your horn I will make iron
And your hoofs I will make bronze,
that you may crush many peoples;
You shall devote their spoils to the Lord,[f]
their riches to the Lord of the whole earth.(D)
14 Now grieve, O grieving daughter![g]
“They have laid siege against us!”
With the rod they strike on the cheek
the ruler of Israel.
Footnotes
- 4:1–4 This magnificent prophecy of salvation is almost identical to Is 2:2–5, with the exception of its last verse. See also Jl 4:9–10, which transforms the promise into a call to war. It is not known if Micah or an editor of the book picked up the announcement from his contemporary Isaiah or if Isaiah borrowed it from Micah. Perhaps both Isaiah and Micah depended upon another, more ancient tradition. The ground of the prophetic hope voiced here is the justice and grace of the God who has chosen Israel. The basis for peace shall be a just order where all are obedient to the divine will. While the vision is a universal one, including all peoples and nations (vv. 3–4), its center and wellspring is the Temple of the Lord of Israel on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
- 4:6–8 An announcement of salvation proclaiming that the Lord will restore the lame and afflicted people of God as a nation on Mount Zion. Oracle of the Lord: a phrase used extensively in prophetic books to indicate divine speech.
- 4:8 Tower of the flock: in Hebrew migdal-eder, a place name in Gn 35:21.
- 4:10 Frequently the prophets personify the city of Jerusalem as a woman, and here as a woman in labor.
- 4:11–13 The nations who have ridiculed Zion (v. 11) will be threshed like grain (v. 13).
- 4:13 Devote their spoils to the Lord: the fulfillment of the ancient ordinance of the holy war in which all plunder taken in the war was “put under the ban,” i.e., belonged to the Lord.
- 4:14 Grieve, O grieving daughter!: the Hebrew actually reflects the ancient Near Eastern mourning practice of afflicting oneself with cuts and gashes, as evidence of grief. A literal rendering would be “gash yourself, O woman who gashes.”
Micah 4
New English Translation
Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem
4 And in future days[a] the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all;[b]
it will be more prominent than other hills.[c]
People will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come, saying,
“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of Jacob’s God,
so he can teach us his ways
and we can live by his laws.”[d]
For instruction will proceed from Zion,
the Lord’s message from Jerusalem.
3 He will arbitrate[e] between many peoples
and settle disputes between many[f] distant nations.[g]
They will beat their swords into plowshares,[h]
and their spears into pruning hooks.[i]
Nations will not use weapons[j] against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
4 Each will sit under his own grapevine
or under his own fig tree without any fear.[k]
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has decreed it.[l]
5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods,[m]
we will follow[n] the Lord our God forever.
Restoration Will Follow Crisis
6 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather the lame
and assemble the outcasts whom I injured.[o]
7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation,[p]
and those far off[q] into a mighty nation.
The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion,
from that day forward and forevermore.[r]
8 As for you, watchtower for the flock,[s]
fortress of Daughter Zion[t]—
your former dominion will be restored,[u]
the sovereignty that belongs to Daughter Jerusalem.”
9 Jerusalem, why are you[v] now shouting so loudly?[w]
Has your king disappeared?[x]
Has your wise leader[y] been destroyed?
Is this why[z] pain grips[aa] you as if you were a woman in labor?
10 Twist and strain,[ab] Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor!
For you will leave the city
and live in the open field.
You will go to Babylon,
but there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will deliver[ac] you
from the power[ad] of your enemies.
11 Many nations have now assembled against you.
They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated,[ae]
so we can gloat over Zion!”[af]
12 But they do not know what the Lord is planning;
they do not understand his strategy.
He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed[ag] at the threshing floor.
13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion!
For I will give you iron horns;[ah]
I will give you bronze hooves,
and you will crush many nations.”[ai]
You will devote to the Lord the spoils you take from them
and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler[aj] of the whole earth.[ak]
Footnotes
- Micah 4:1 sn Cf. Isa 2:2. See the note at Gen 49:1.
- Micah 4:1 tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”
- Micah 4:1 tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”
- Micah 4:2 tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”
- Micah 4:3 tn Or “judge.”
- Micah 4:3 tn Or “mighty” (NASB); KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “strong”; TEV “among the great powers.”
- Micah 4:3 tn Heb “[for many nations] to a distance.”
- Micah 4:3 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
- Micah 4:3 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.
- Micah 4:3 tn Heb “take up the sword.”
- Micah 4:4 tn Heb “and there will be no one making [him] afraid.”
- Micah 4:4 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord…has spoken.”
- Micah 4:5 tn Heb “walk each in the name of his god.” The term “name” here has the idea of “authority.” To “walk in the name” of a god is to recognize the god’s authority as binding over one’s life.
- Micah 4:5 tn Heb “walk in the name of.”
- Micah 4:6 sn The exiles of the nation are compared to lame and injured sheep.
- Micah 4:7 tn Heb “make the lame into a remnant.”
- Micah 4:7 tn The precise meaning of this difficult form is uncertain. The present translation assumes the form is a Niphal participle of an otherwise unattested denominative verb הָלָא (halaʾ, “to be far off”; see BDB 229 s.v.), but attractive emendations include הַנַּחֲלָה (hannakhalah, “the sick one[s]”) from חָלָה (khalah) and הַנִּלְאָה (hannilʾah, “the weary one[s]”) from לָאָה (laʾah).
- Micah 4:7 tn Heb “from now until forever.”
- Micah 4:8 tn Heb “Migdal Eder.” Some English versions transliterate this phrase, apparently because they view it as a place name (cf. NAB).
- Micah 4:8 sn The city of David, located within Jerusalem, is addressed as Daughter Zion. As the home of the Davidic king, who was Israel’s shepherd (Ps 78:70-72), the royal citadel could be viewed metaphorically as the watchtower of the flock.
- Micah 4:8 tn Heb “to you it will come, the former dominion will arrive.”
- Micah 4:9 tn The Hebrew form is feminine singular, indicating that Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, is now addressed (see v. 10). In v. 8 the tower/fortress was addressed with masculine forms, so there is clearly a shift in addressee here. “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation at the beginning of v. 9 to make this shift apparent.
- Micah 4:9 tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”
- Micah 4:9 tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”
- Micah 4:9 tn Traditionally, “counselor” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the king mentioned in the previous line; the title points to the king’s roles as chief strategist and policy maker, both of which required extraordinary wisdom.
- Micah 4:9 tn Heb “that.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is used here in a resultative sense; for this use see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
- Micah 4:9 tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”
- Micah 4:10 tn Or perhaps “scream”; NRSV, TEV, NLT “groan.”
- Micah 4:10 tn Or “redeem” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Micah 4:10 tn Heb “hand.” The Hebrew idiom is a metonymy for power or control.
- Micah 4:11 tn Heb “let her be desecrated.” The referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Micah 4:11 tn Heb “and let our eye look upon Zion.” This is a Hebrew idiom for a typically smug or condescending look by someone in a superior position.
- Micah 4:12 tn The words “to be threshed” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation to make it clear that the Lord is planning to enable “Daughter Zion” to “thresh” her enemies.
- Micah 4:13 tn Heb “I will make your horn iron.”
- Micah 4:13 sn Jerusalem (Daughter Zion at the beginning of the verse; cf. 4:8) is here compared to a powerful ox which crushes the grain on the threshing floor with its hooves.
- Micah 4:13 tn Or “the Lord” (so many English versions); Heb “the master.”
- Micah 4:13 tn Heb “and their wealth to the master of all the earth.” The verb “devote” does double duty in the parallelism and is supplied in the second line for clarification.sn In vv. 11-13 the prophet jumps from the present crisis (which will result in exile, v. 10) to a time beyond the restoration of the exiles when God will protect his city from invaders. The Lord’s victory over the Assyrian armies in 701 b.c. foreshadowed this.
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