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Micah 1-5
Christian Standard Bible
Micah 1-5
Christian Standard Bible
1 The word of the Lord that came(A) to Micah(B) the Moreshite(C)—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham,(D) Ahaz,(E) and Hezekiah,(F) kings of Judah.
Coming Judgment on Israel
2 Listen, all you peoples;(G)
pay attention, earth[a] and everyone in it!(H)
The Lord God will be a witness against you,(I)
the Lord, from his holy temple.(J)
3 Look, the Lord is leaving his place(K)
and coming down to trample
the heights[b] of the earth.(L)
4 The mountains will melt beneath him,
and the valleys will split apart,
like wax near a fire,(M)
like water cascading down a mountainside.
5 All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion
and the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the rebellion of Jacob?
Isn’t it Samaria?(N)
And what is the high place of Judah?(O)
Isn’t it Jerusalem?
6 Therefore, I will make Samaria
a heap of ruins(P) in the countryside,
a planting area(Q) for a vineyard.
I will roll her stones(R) into the valley
and expose her foundations.(S)
7 All her carved images will be smashed(T) to pieces;
all her wages(U) will be burned in the fire,
and I will destroy all her idols.
Since she collected the wages of a prostitute,(V)
they will be used again for a prostitute.
Micah’s Lament
8 Because of this I will lament and wail;
I will walk barefoot and naked.(W)
I will howl like the jackals(X)
and mourn like ostriches.[c]
9 For her wound is incurable(Y)
and has reached even Judah;(Z)
it has approached my people’s city gate,(AA)
as far as Jerusalem.
10 Don’t announce it in Gath,(AB)
don’t weep at all.
Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
11 Depart in shameful nakedness,(AC)
you residents of Shaphir;
the residents of Zaanan(AD) will not come out.
Beth-ezel is lamenting;
its support[d] is taken from you.
12 Though the residents of Maroth
anxiously wait for something good,(AE)
disaster has come from the Lord(AF)
to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the horses to the chariot,
you residents of Lachish.(AG)
This was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion
because Israel’s acts of rebellion(AH) can be traced to you.
14 Therefore, send farewell gifts(AI) to Moresheth-gath;
the houses of Achzib(AJ) are a deception(AK)
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror
against you who live in Mareshah.(AL)
The nobility[e] of Israel will come to Adullam.(AM)
16 Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair(AN)
in sorrow for your precious children;
make yourselves as bald as an eagle,
for they have been taken from you into exile.(AO)
Oppressors Judged
2 Woe to those who dream up wickedness
and prepare evil plans(AP) on their beds!
At morning light(AQ) they accomplish it
because the power is in their hands.(AR)
2 They covet fields(AS) and seize them;(AT)
they also take houses.
They deprive a man of his home,(AU)
a person of his inheritance.(AV)
3 Therefore, the Lord says:
I am now planning(AW) a disaster
against this nation;(AX)
you cannot free your necks from it.(AY)
Then you will not walk so proudly(AZ)
because it will be an evil time.(BA)
4 In that day one will take up(BB) a taunt against you
and lament mournfully,(BC) saying,
“We are totally ruined!(BD)
He measures out the allotted land of my people.
How he removes it from me!
He allots our fields(BE) to traitors.”
5 Therefore, there will be no one
in the assembly of the Lord
to divide the land by casting lots.[f](BF)
God’s Word Rejected
6 “Quit your preaching,”(BG) they[g] preach.
“They should not preach these things;(BH)
shame will not overtake us.”[h](BI)
7 House of Jacob, should it be asked,
“Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient?(BJ)
Are these the things he does?”
Don’t my words bring good(BK)
to the one who walks uprightly?(BL)
8 But recently my people have risen up
like an enemy:(BM)
You strip off the splendid robe(BN)
from those who are passing through confidently,(BO)
like those returning from war.
9 You force(BP) the women of my people
out of their comfortable homes,
and you take my blessing[i](BQ)
from their children forever.
10 Get up and leave,
for this is not your place of rest(BR)
because defilement(BS) brings destruction—
a grievous destruction!(BT)
11 If a man comes
and utters empty lies(BU)—
“I will preach to you about wine and beer”(BV)—
he would be just the preacher for this people!(BW)
The Remnant Regathered
12 I will indeed gather(BX) all of you, Jacob;
I will collect the remnant of Israel.(BY)
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in the middle of its pasture.
It will be noisy with people.(BZ)
13 One who breaks open the way
will advance before them;
they will break out, pass through the city gate,
and leave by it.
Their King will pass through before them,
the Lord as their leader.
Unjust Leaders Judged
3 Then I said, “Now listen,(CA) leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?(CB)
2 You hate good and love evil.
You tear off people’s skin(CC)
and strip their flesh from their bones.
3 You eat the flesh(CD) of my people
after you strip their skin from them
and break their bones.
You chop them up(CE)
like flesh for the cooking pot,
like meat in a cauldron.”
4 Then they will cry out(CF) to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time(CG)
because of the crimes they have committed.
False Prophets Judged
5 This is what the Lord says
concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,(CH)
who proclaim(CI) peace
when they have food to sink their teeth into
but declare war against the one
who puts nothing in their mouths.
6 Therefore, it will be night(CJ) for you—
without visions;
it will grow dark for you—
without divination.(CK)
The sun will set(CL) on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn black over them.
7 Then the seers will be ashamed(CM)
and the diviners disappointed.(CN)
They will all cover their mouths[j](CO)
because there will be no answer from God.(CP)
8 As for me, however, I am filled with power(CQ)
by the Spirit of the Lord,
with justice and courage,
to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion
and to Israel his sin.(CR)
Zion’s Destruction
9 Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,(CS)
you rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice(CT)
and pervert everything that is right,
10 who build Zion with bloodshed(CU)
and Jerusalem with injustice.
11 Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,(CV)
her priests teach for payment,(CW)
and her prophets practice divination for silver.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Isn’t the Lord(CX) among us?
No disaster will overtake us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,(CY)
and the temple’s mountain(CZ)
will be a high thicket.(DA)
The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion
4 In the last days(DB)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(DC)
will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,(DD)
2 and many nations will come and say,(DE)
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,(DF)
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways(DG)
so we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion(DH)
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will settle disputes among many peoples(DI)
and provide arbitration for strong nations
that are far away.
They will beat their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.
4 But each person will sit under his grapevine(DJ)
and under his fig tree
with no one to frighten him.(DK)
For the mouth of the Lord(DL) of Armies
has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
in the name of their own gods,(DM)
we will walk(DN) in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.(DO)
6 On that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will assemble the lame
and gather the scattered,(DP)
those I have injured.
7 I will make the lame into a remnant,(DQ)
those far removed into a strong nation.
Then the Lord will reign over them(DR) in Mount Zion
from this time on and forever.
8 And you, watchtower for the flock,(DS)
fortified hill[k] of Daughter Zion,
the former rule(DT) will come to you;
sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.
From Exile to Victory
9 Now, why are you shouting loudly?(DU)
Is there no king with you?
Has your counselor perished(DV)
so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and cry out,[l](DW) Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you will leave the city(DX)
and camp in the open fields.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued;(DY)
there the Lord will redeem you(DZ)
from the grasp of your enemies!
11 Many nations have now assembled against you;(EA)
they say, “Let her be defiled,
and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”
12 But they do not know the Lord’s intentions(EB)
or understand his plan,
that he has gathered them
like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Rise and thresh,(EC) Daughter Zion,
for I will make your horns iron
and your hooves bronze
so you can crush many peoples.(ED)
Then you[m] will set apart their plunder(EE)
for the Lord,
their wealth for the Lord of the whole earth.
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(EF) of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
2 Bethlehem Ephrathah,(EG)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
one will come from you(EH)
to be ruler over Israel for me.(EI)
His origin[n] is from antiquity,(EJ)
from ancient times.
3 Therefore, Israel will be abandoned(EK) until the time
when she who is in labor(EL) has given birth;
then the rest of the ruler’s brothers(EM) will return
to the people of Israel.(EN)
4 He will stand and shepherd them(EO)
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.(EP)
5 He will be their peace.(EQ)
When Assyria invades our land,(ER)
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
6 They will shepherd(ES) the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(ET) with a drawn blade.[o]
So he will rescue us(EU) from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.
The Glorious and Purified Remnant
7 Then the remnant of Jacob(EV)
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord,(EW)
like showers on the grass,(EX)
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,(EY)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples(EZ) and tears(FA) as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.(FB)
9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,(FC)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will remove your horses from you(FD)
and wreck your chariots.
11 I will remove the cities of your land(FE)
and tear down all your fortresses.(FF)
12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,(FG)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
13 I will remove your carved images(FH)
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(FI) from among you(FJ)
and demolish your cities.[p]
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath(FK)
against the nations that have not obeyed me.
Footnotes
- 1:2 Or land
- 1:3 Or high places
- 1:8 Or eagle owls; lit daughters of the desert
- 1:11 Lit its standing place; Hb obscure
- 1:15 Lit glory
- 2:5 Lit Lord stretching the measuring line by lot
- 2:6 = the prophets
- 2:6 Text emended; MT reads things. Shame will not depart
- 2:9 Perhaps the land
- 3:7 Lit mustache
- 4:8 Or flock, Ophel
- 4:10 Hb obscure
- 4:13 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads I
- 5:2 Lit His going out
- 5:6 Aq, Vg; MT, Sym read Nimrod at its gateways
- 5:14 Or shrines
Micah 1-5
New International Version
Micah 1-5
New International Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth(A) during the reigns of Jotham,(B) Ahaz(C) and Hezekiah,(D) kings of Judah(E)—the vision(F) he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear,(G) you peoples, all of you,(H)
listen, earth(I) and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness(J) against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.(K)
Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem
3 Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling(L) place;
he comes down(M) and treads on the heights of the earth.(N)
4 The mountains melt(O) beneath him(P)
and the valleys split apart,(Q)
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?(R)
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.(S)
I will pour her stones(T) into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.(U)
7 All her idols(V) will be broken to pieces;(W)
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.(X)
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,(Y)
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
Weeping and Mourning
8 Because of this I will weep(Z) and wail;
I will go about barefoot(AA) and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9 For Samaria’s plague(AB) is incurable;(AC)
it has spread to Judah.(AD)
It has reached the very gate(AE) of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.
10 Tell it not in Gath[a];
weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[b]
roll in the dust.
11 Pass by naked(AF) and in shame,
you who live in Shaphir.[c]
Those who live in Zaanan[d]
will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
it no longer protects you.
12 Those who live in Maroth[e] writhe in pain,
waiting for relief,(AG)
because disaster(AH) has come from the Lord,
even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,(AI)
harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion(AJ) began,
for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts(AK)
to Moresheth(AL) Gath.
The town of Akzib[f](AM) will prove deceptive(AN)
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will bring a conqueror against you
who live in Mareshah.[g](AO)
The nobles of Israel
will flee to Adullam.(AP)
16 Shave(AQ) your head in mourning
for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
for they will go from you into exile.(AR)
Human Plans and God’s Plans
2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil(AS) on their beds!(AT)
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields(AU) and seize them,(AV)
and houses, and take them.
They defraud(AW) people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.(AX)
3 Therefore, the Lord says:
“I am planning disaster(AY) against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,(AZ)
for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(BA)
my people’s possession is divided up.(BB)
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’”
False Prophets
6 “Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
“Do not prophesy about these things;
disgrace(BE) will not overtake us.(BF)”
7 You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
“Does the Lord become[h] impatient?
Does he do such things?”
“Do not my words do good(BG)
to the one whose ways are upright?(BH)
8 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.
9 You drive the women of my people
from their pleasant homes.(BI)
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
For this is not your resting place,(BJ)
because it is defiled,(BK)
it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(BL) comes and says,
‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(BM)
that would be just the prophet for this people!(BN)
Deliverance Promised
12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant(BO) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.(BP)
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before(BQ) them;
they will break through the gate(BR) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the Lord at their head.”
Leaders and Prophets Rebuked
3 Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders(BS) of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2 you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
and the flesh from their bones;(BT)
3 who eat my people’s flesh,(BU)
strip off their skin
and break their bones in pieces;(BV)
who chop(BW) them up like meat for the pan,
like flesh for the pot?(BX)”
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.(BY)
At that time he will hide his face(BZ) from them
because of the evil they have done.(CA)
5 This is what the Lord says:
“As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,(CB)
they proclaim ‘peace’(CC)
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination.(CD)
The sun will set for the prophets,(CE)
and the day will go dark for them.(CF)
7 The seers will be ashamed(CG)
and the diviners disgraced.(CH)
They will all cover(CI) their faces(CJ)
because there is no answer from God.(CK)”
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin.(CL)
9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right;(CM)
10 who build(CN) Zion with bloodshed,(CO)
and Jerusalem with wickedness.(CP)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(CQ)
her priests teach for a price,(CR)
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(CS)
Yet they look(CT) for the Lord’s support and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No disaster will come upon us.”(CU)
12 Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(CV)
the temple(CW) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(CX)
The Mountain of the Lord(CY)
4 In the last days
the mountain(CZ) of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,(DA)
and peoples will stream to it.(DB)
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(DC)
to the temple of the God of Jacob.(DD)
He will teach us(DE) his ways,(DF)
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(DG) will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.(DH)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.(DI)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war(DJ) anymore.(DK)
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,(DL)
and no one will make them afraid,(DM)
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.(DN)
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,(DO)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever.(DP)
The Lord’s Plan
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will gather the lame;(DQ)
I will assemble the exiles(DR)
and those I have brought to grief.(DS)
7 I will make the lame my remnant,(DT)
those driven away a strong nation.(DU)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion(DV)
from that day and forever.(DW)
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold[i] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored(DX) to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.(DY)”
9 Why do you now cry aloud—
have you no king[j](DZ)?
Has your ruler[k] perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?(EA)
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;(EB)
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem(EC) 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(ED) over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,(EE)
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh,(EF) 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.”(EG)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,(EH)
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
5 [l]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek(EI) with a rod.
2 “But you, Bethlehem(EJ) Ephrathah,(EK)
though you are small among the clans[m] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler(EL) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,(EM)
from ancient times.”(EN)
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned(EO)
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock(EP)
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(EQ)
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace(ER)
when the Assyrians invade(ES) our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,(ET)
6 who will rule[n] the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(EU) with drawn sword.[o](EV)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.(EW)
7 The remnant(EX) of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew(EY) from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,(EZ)
which do not wait for anyone
or depend on man.
8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,(FA)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles(FB) as it goes,
and no one can rescue.(FC)
9 Your hand will be lifted up(FD) 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.(FE)
11 I will destroy the cities(FF) of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.(FG)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
and you will no longer cast spells.(FH)
13 I will destroy your idols(FI)
and your sacred stones from among you;(FJ)
you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.(FK)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles[p](FL)
when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance(FM) in anger and wrath
on the nations that have not obeyed me.”
Footnotes
- Micah 1:10 Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.
- Micah 1:10 Beth Ophrah means house of dust.
- Micah 1:11 Shaphir means pleasant.
- Micah 1:11 Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.
- Micah 1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter.
- Micah 1:14 Akzib means deception.
- Micah 1:15 Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.
- Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord
- Micah 4:8 Or hill
- Micah 4:9 Or King
- Micah 4:9 Or Ruler
- Micah 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:14, and 5:2-15 is numbered 5:1-14.
- Micah 5:2 Or rulers
- Micah 5:6 Or crush
- Micah 5:6 Or Nimrod in its gates
- Micah 5:14 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
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