Micah 2
Legacy Standard Bible
An Evil Time
2 Woe to those who (A)devise wickedness,
Who work out evil on their beds!
(B)When the light of the morning comes, they do it,
For it is in the (C)power of their hands.
2 And they (D)covet fields and then (E)tear them away,
And houses, and take them away.
And they (F)oppress a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, I am (G)devising against this (H)family an evil demise
From which you (I)cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk (J)haughtily,
For it will be an (K)evil time.
4 On that day they will (L)take up against you a [a]taunt
And [b](M)utter a bitter wailing and say,
‘We are completely (N)devastated!
He exchanges the portion of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the faithless one, He (O)apportions our fields.’
5 Therefore you will have no one [c](P)stretching a measuring line
For you by lot in the assembly of Yahweh.
6 ‘(Q)Do not speak, dripping out words,’ they say while dripping out words.
But if [d]they do (R)not drip out words concerning these things,
(S)Dishonor will not be turned back.
7 Is it being said, O house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of Yahweh (T)impatient?
Are these His deeds?’
Do not My words (U)do good
To the one (V)walking uprightly?
8 [e]And recently My people have arisen as an (W)enemy—
You (X)strip the [f]robe off the garment
From (Y)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 The women of My people you (Z)drive out,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her infants you take My (AA)splendor forever.
10 Arise and go,
For this is no place (AB)of rest
Because of the (AC)uncleanness that wreaks destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 If a man walking after wind and (AD)lying
Had acted falsely and said,
‘I will speak, dripping out words to you concerning (AE)wine and liquor,’
He would be one who drips out words as a spokesman to (AF)this people.
12 “I will surely (AG)assemble all of you, Jacob;
I will surely gather the (AH)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 men.
13 The breaker goes up before them;
They break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it.
So their king goes on before them,
And Yahweh at their head.”
Micah 2
New Living Translation
Judgment against Wealthy Oppressors
2 What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night,
thinking up evil plans.
You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out,
simply because you have the power to do so.
2 When you want a piece of land,
you find a way to seize it.
When you want someone’s house,
you take it by fraud and violence.
You cheat a man of his property,
stealing his family’s inheritance.
3 But this is what the Lord says:
“I will reward your evil with evil;
you won’t be able to pull your neck out of the noose.
You will no longer walk around proudly,
for it will be a terrible time.”
4 In that day your enemies will make fun of you
by singing this song of despair about you:
“We are finished,
completely ruined!
God has confiscated our land,
taking it from us.
He has given our fields
to those who betrayed us.[a]”
5 Others will set your boundaries then,
and the Lord’s people will have no say
in how the land is divided.
True and False Prophets
6 “Don’t say such things,”
the people respond.[b]
“Don’t prophesy like that.
Such disasters will never come our way!”
7 Should you talk that way, O family of Israel?[c]
Will the Lord’s Spirit have patience with such behavior?
If you would do what is right,
you would find my words comforting.
8 Yet to this very hour
my people rise against me like an enemy!
You steal the shirts right off the backs
of those who trusted you,
making them as ragged as men
returning from battle.
9 You have evicted women from their pleasant homes
and forever stripped their children of all that God would give them.
10 Up! Begone!
This is no longer your land and home,
for you have filled it with sin
and ruined it completely.
11 Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you,
“I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!”
That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!
Hope for Restoration
12 “Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again
be filled with noisy crowds!
13 Your leader will break out
and lead you out of exile,
out through the gates of the enemy cities,
back to your own land.
Your king will lead you;
the Lord himself will guide you.”
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
