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The Mountain of Yahweh

And it will be that at the end of those days,
the mountain of Yahweh
    will be established as the highest of the mountains,
and it will be lifted up above the hills,
    and people will stream to it.
And many nations will come and say,
“Come! Let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,
    and to the temple[a] of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways,
    and that we may walk in his paths,”
for the law will go out from Zion,
    and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
And he will judge between many peoples
    and will arbitrate for strong nations far away;
and they will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation will not lift up a sword against a nation,
    and they will no longer learn war.
But they will sit, each under his vine
    and under his fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
    for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.
For all the nations walk,
    each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God,
    forever and ever.

Yahweh Will Deliver Zion

“In that day,” declares Yahweh,[b]
    “I will assemble the one who limps,
and I will gather the one who has been scattered,
    and those whom I have mistreated.
And I will make the one who limps a remnant,
    and the one driven far away a strong nation,
and Yahweh will reign over them on Mount Zion
    from now to forever.
And you, O Migdal-Eder,[c]
    hill of the daughter of Zion,
to you it will come,
    and the former dominion will come,
    the reign of the daughter of Jerusalem.
So then, why do you shout a loud shout?
    Is there no king in you?
Has your counselor perished
    that pangs like a woman in labor have seized you?
10 Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion,
    like a woman in labor.
For now you will go forth from the city,
    and you will camp in the field;
    you will go to Babylon.
There you will be rescued;
    there Yahweh will redeem you
    from the hand of your enemies.
11 And now, many nations are gathered against you
    who are saying, ‘Let her be defiled,
    and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.’
12 But they do not know the thoughts of Yahweh,
    and they do not understand his plan,
that he has gathered them as sheaves
    to his threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion,
    for your horn I will make as iron
    and your hooves as bronze.
And you will break many peoples in pieces,
    and their gain you will devote to destruction to Yahweh,
    and their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:2 Literally “house”
  2. Micah 4:6 Literally “a declaration of Yahweh”
  3. Micah 4:8 Or “tower of the flock”

A peaceable world

But in the days to come,
        the mountain of the Lord’s house
            will be the highest of the mountains;
        it will be lifted above the hills;
            peoples will stream to it.
Many nations will go and say:
    “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
            to the house of Jacob’s God,
        so that he may teach us his ways
            and we may walk in God’s paths!”
Instruction will come from Zion
        and the Lord’s word from Jerusalem.
God will judge between the nations
        and settle disputes of mighty nations,
            which are far away.
They will beat their swords into iron plows
        and their spears into pruning tools.
Nation will not take up sword against nation;
        they will no longer learn how to make war.
All will sit underneath their own grapevines,
        under their own fig trees.
    There will be no one to terrify them;
        for the mouth of the Lord of heavenly forces has spoken.

An assertion of enduring loyalty

Each of the peoples walks in the name of their own god;
        but as for us, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
            forever and always.

Dominion in Zion

On that day, says the Lord,
        I will gather the lame;
        I will assemble those who were driven away
            and those whom I have harmed.
I will make the lame into survivors,
        those driven away into a mighty nation.
    The Lord will rule over them on Mount Zion
        from now on and forever.
As for you, Tower of Eder,[a] hill of Daughter Zion,
    as for you it will come,
        the former dominion will come,
        the royal power belonging to Daughter Zion.

God is in control

Now why do you cry out so loudly?
    Isn’t the king in you?
    Or has your counselor perished,
        so that pain has seized you like that of a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and scream, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor!
        Now you will leave the city and dwell in the open field;
            you will go to Babylon.
        There you will be rescued;
            there the Lord will redeem you from the power of your enemies.
11 Now many nations may gather against you;
        they say, “Let her be defiled,”
        or “Let our eyes look with desire at Zion.”
12 But they don’t know the plans of the Lord;
            they can’t understand his scheme,
        namely, that he will bring them like grain to the threshing floor!
13 Arise and thresh, Daughter Zion,
        for I will make your horn out of iron;
        your hooves I will make out of bronze.
    You will crush many peoples;
        you will dedicate their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,
        their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:8 Or tower of the flock