Micah 4
New International Version
The Mountain of the Lord(A)
4 In the last days
the mountain(B) of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,(C)
and peoples will stream to it.(D)
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(E)
to the temple of the God of Jacob.(F)
He will teach us(G) his ways,(H)
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(I) 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.(J)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.(K)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war(L) anymore.(M)
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,(N)
and no one will make them afraid,(O)
for the Lord Almighty has spoken.(P)
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,(Q)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
our God for ever and ever.(R)
The Lord’s Plan
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will gather the lame;(S)
I will assemble the exiles(T)
and those I have brought to grief.(U)
7 I will make the lame my remnant,(V)
those driven away a strong nation.(W)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion(X)
from that day and forever.(Y)
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored(Z) to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.(AA)”
9 Why do you now cry aloud—
have you no king[b](AB)?
Has your ruler[c] perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?(AC)
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;(AD)
there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem(AE) 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(AF) over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,(AG)
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh,(AH) 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.”(AI)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,(AJ)
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Micah 4
New King James Version
The Lord’s Reign in Zion(A)
4 Now (B)it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And peoples shall flow to it.
2 Many nations shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion the law shall go forth,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
And rebuke strong nations afar off;
They shall beat their swords into (C)plowshares,
And their spears into [a]pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
(D)Neither shall they learn war anymore.
4 (E)But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,
And no one shall make them afraid;
For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 For all people walk each in the name of his god,
But (F)we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
Forever and ever.
Zion’s Future Triumph
6 “In that day,” says the Lord,
(G)“I will assemble the lame,
(H)I will gather the outcast
And those whom I have afflicted;
7 I will make the lame (I)a remnant,
And the outcast a strong nation;
So the Lord (J)will reign over them in Mount Zion
From now on, even forever.
8 And you, O tower of the flock,
The stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
To you shall it come,
Even the former dominion shall come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
9 Now why do you cry aloud?
(K)Is there no king in your midst?
Has your counselor perished?
For (L)pangs have seized you like a woman in [b]labor.
10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth,
O daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in birth pangs.
For now you shall go forth from the city,
You shall dwell in the field,
And to (M)Babylon you shall go.
There you shall be delivered;
There the (N)Lord will (O)redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.
11 (P)Now also many nations have gathered against you,
Who say, “Let her be defiled,
And let our eye (Q)look upon Zion.”
12 But they do not know (R)the thoughts of the Lord,
Nor do they understand His counsel;
For He will gather them (S)like sheaves to the threshing floor.
Micah 4
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Future Reign
4 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
2 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
3 The Lord will mediate between peoples
and will settle disputes between strong nations far away.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
has made this promise!
5 Though the nations around us follow their idols,
we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.
Israel’s Return from Exile
6 “In that coming day,” says the Lord,
“I will gather together those who are lame,
those who have been exiles,
and those whom I have filled with grief.
7 Those who are weak will survive as a remnant;
those who were exiles will become a strong nation.
Then I, the Lord, will rule from Jerusalem[a]
as their king forever.”
8 As for you, Jerusalem,
the citadel of God’s people,[b]
your royal might and power
will come back to you again.
The kingship will be restored
to my precious Jerusalem.
9 But why are you now screaming in terror?
Have you no king to lead you?
Have your wise people all died?
Pain has gripped you like a woman in childbirth.
10 Writhe and groan like a woman in labor,
you people of Jerusalem,[c]
for now you must leave this city
to live in the open country.
You will soon be sent in exile
to distant Babylon.
But the Lord will rescue you there;
he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies.
11 Now many nations have gathered against you.
“Let her be desecrated,” they say.
“Let us see the destruction of Jerusalem.[d]”
12 But they do not know the Lord’s thoughts
or understand his plan.
These nations don’t know
that he is gathering them together
to be beaten and trampled
like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor.
13 “Rise up and crush the nations, O Jerusalem!”[e]
says the Lord.
“For I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves,
so you can trample many nations to pieces.
You will present their stolen riches to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.”
Micah 4
New Century Version
The Mountain of the Lord
4 In the last days
the mountain on which the Lord’s Temple stands
will become the most important of all mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
and people from other nations will come streaming to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob,
so that he can teach us his ways,
and we can obey his teachings.”
His teachings will go out from Jerusalem,
the word of the Lord from that city.
3 The Lord will judge many nations;
he will make decisions about strong nations that are far away.
They will hammer their swords into plow blades
and their spears into hooks for trimming trees.
Nations will no longer raise swords against other nations;
they will not train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under his own vine and fig tree,
and no one will make him afraid,
because the Lord All-Powerful has said it.
5 All other nations may follow their own gods,
but we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.
6 The Lord says, “At that time,
I will gather the crippled;
I will bring together those who were sent away,
those whom I caused to have trouble.
7 I will keep alive those who were crippled,
and I will make a strong nation of those who were sent away.
The Lord will be their king in Mount Zion from now on and forever.
8 And you, watchtower of the flocks,[a] hill of Jerusalem,
to you will come the kingdom as in the past.
Jerusalem, the right to rule will come again to you.”
Why the Israelites Must Go to Babylon
9 Now, why do you cry so loudly?
Is your king gone?
Have you lost your helper,
so that you are in pain, like a woman trying to give birth?
10 People of Jerusalem, strain and be in pain.
Be like a woman trying to give birth,
because now you must leave the city
and live in the field.
You will go to Babylon,
but you will be saved from that place.
The Lord will go there
and buy you back from your enemies.
11 But now many nations
have come to fight against you,
saying, “Let’s destroy Jerusalem.
We will look at her and be glad we have defeated her.”
12 But they don’t know
what the Lord is thinking;
they don’t understand his plan.
He has gathered them like bundles of grain to the threshing floor.
13 “Get up and beat them, people of Jerusalem.
I will make you strong as if you had horns of iron
and hoofs of bronze.
You will beat many nations into small pieces
and give their wealth to the Lord,
their treasure to the Lord of all the earth.”
Footnotes
- 4:8 watchtower . . . flocks This probably means a part of Jerusalem. The leaders would be like shepherds in a tower watching their sheep.
Micah 4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Peace and Security through Obedience
4 In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s temple
shall be established as the highest of the mountains
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it,(A)
2 and many nations shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.(B)
3 He shall judge between many peoples
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation;
neither shall they learn war any more;(C)
4 but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.(D)
5 For all the peoples walk,
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.(E)
Restoration Promised after Exile
6 On that day, says the Lord,
I will assemble the lame
and gather those who have been driven away
and those whom I have afflicted.(F)
7 The lame I will make the remnant,
and those who were cast off, a strong nation,
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
now and forevermore.(G)
8 And you, O tower of the flock,
hill of daughter Zion,
to you it shall come,
the former dominion shall come,
the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem.(H)
9 Now why do you cry aloud?
Is there no king in you?
Has your counselor perished,
that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?(I)
10 Writhe and groan,[a] O daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you shall go forth from the city
and camp in the open country;
you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued;
there the Lord will redeem you
from the hands of your enemies.(J)
11 Now many nations
are assembled against you,
saying, “Let her be profaned,
and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”(K)
12 But they do not know
the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,
that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.(L)
13 Arise and thresh,
O daughter Zion,
for I will make your horn iron
and your hoofs bronze;
you shall beat in pieces many peoples
and shall[b] devote their gain to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.(M)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.