欺压者的命运

躺在床上图谋不轨、
盘算作恶的人有祸了!
天一亮,他们就依仗手中的权势行恶。
他们贪图田地,就去霸占;
想要房屋,就去抢夺。
他们欺压人,
诈取别人的家园和产业。
所以,耶和华说:
“我正计划降灾惩罚你们,
你们无法逃脱,
再也不能趾高气扬,
因为这是你们灾祸临头的日子。
到那日,
人们要唱哀歌讥讽你们说,
‘我们彻底完了,
耶和华把我们的产业转给别人。
祂竟拿走我们的产业,
把田地分给掳掠我们的人。’”
因此,他们在耶和华的会众中将无人抽签分地。

他们的先知说:
“不要说预言了,
不要预言这种事,
我们不会蒙受羞辱。”
雅各家啊,你们怎能说:
“耶和华已经不耐烦了吗?
祂会做这些事吗?”

“我的话岂不有益于行为正直的人吗?
近来,你们像仇敌一样起来攻击我的子民[a]
你们剥去那些如从战场归来一样毫无戒备的过路人的外衣。
你们把我子民中的妇女从她们的幸福家园赶走,
又从她们的子女身上永远地夺去我的尊荣。
10 你们起来走吧!
这里不再是你们的安居之地!
因为这里已遭玷污,
被彻底毁坏。
11 倘若有骗子撒谎说,
‘我预言你们会有美酒佳酿。’
他就会成为这个民族的先知。

12 “雅各家啊,
我必把你们都聚集起来,
我必把以色列的余民集合起来。
我要将他们安顿在一起,
好像羊圈里的羊,
又如草场上的羊群;
那里必人声鼎沸。
13 开路者要走在他们前面,
带领他们冲出敌人的城门。
他们的王走在前面,
耶和华亲自引导他们。”

Footnotes

  1. 2:8 你们像仇敌一样起来攻击我的子民”或译“我的子民如仇敌一样兴起来”。

Human Plans and God’s Plans

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil(A) on their beds!(B)
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.
They covet fields(C) and seize them,(D)
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud(E) people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.(F)

Therefore, the Lord says:

“I am planning disaster(G) against this people,
    from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,(H)
    for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day people will ridicule you;
    they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(I)
    my people’s possession is divided up.(J)
He takes it from me!
    He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord
    to divide the land(K) by lot.(L)

False Prophets

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
    “Do not prophesy about these things;
    disgrace(M) will not overtake us.(N)
You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become[a] impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good(O)
    to the one whose ways are upright?(P)
Lately my people have risen up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by without a care,
    like men returning from battle.
You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.(Q)
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
    For this is not your resting place,(R)
because it is defiled,(S)
    it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(T) comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(U)
    that would be just the prophet for this people!(V)

Deliverance Promised

12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
    I will surely bring together the remnant(W) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.(X)
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before(Y) them;
    they will break through the gate(Z) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord

God says that bad things will happen to the bad people

Micah continues:

People who prepare to do bad things should be afraid.
God will do bad things to them!
While they lie in bed, they think about bad things to do.
Then, when the morning comes, they do those bad things.
They have the authority to do whatever they want to do.
When they want fields, they take them from other people.
When they want houses, they take them.
These cruel people take other people's homes and fields;
then those people's families have nothing.

So the Lord says this to them:

‘I am against you.
You cannot save yourselves.
I will prepare trouble for you.
Then you will stop thinking that you are so very clever and important.
It will be a time of much trouble for you.
At that time, your enemies will laugh at you.
They will sing this sad song against you:
“God has completely destroyed us!
We no longer have any fields, because God has taken them away from us.
He has given them to our enemies, who have turned away from what is right.”
So, when the Lord's people measure the land again to give fields to everyone,
you will get none.[a]
You will have nobody to speak on your behalf.’

False prophets

The people say to me, ‘Do not prophesy against us![b]
Do not say that we will have trouble.
God will not make us ashamed!’
You should not talk like that, you who are descendants of Jacob.
Do you think that the Lord's Spirit will always be patient with you?
If you agree to do what is right, then you will accept that my message is good.

The Lord says:

‘You have become like enemies among my people.
You rob people of their coats when they pass by.
Even men who thought that they were safe now.
You even rob men who are returning home from war.
You rob the women among my people too.
You take away their happy homes.
So you take away what I want their children to enjoy.
10 Get up and go away!
You cannot remain in this place because you have made it bad.
It is so bad that it will completely destroy you.
11 When a person speaks false messages to you, then you believe them.
They might say that you would have plenty of wine and strong drink.
That is the message that you would like!’[c]

God promises to bring his people back together

12 ‘You people of Israel, I promise to bring all of you together.
I will bring back together all Israel's people who remain.
I will put all of you together like sheep in a field with a wall round it.
You will be like a field full of sheep.
There will be a loud noise because there will be so many of you.
13 The person who breaks open the way will go in front of you.
Then you will go out through the gate.
I am the Lord, your king, and I will lead you out.’

Footnotes

  1. 2:5 At certain times, the people measured their fields again. They used stones with marks on them to decide about the fields. Micah says that God is against the bad people. So God will never let them get any fields again in future times.
  2. 2:6 To prophesy means to speak (God's) messages, often about future events.
  3. 2:11 Micah spoke true messages from God. But other people were speaking false messages. They spoke words that made the bad people happy. In this verse, God is saying that the bad people should listen to Micah.