Micah 1-4
Holman 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 the gate of my people,(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 of wind[j] comes
and invents 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 fold.
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 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[k](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 money.
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 hill of the temple mount(CZ)
will be a 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 us 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 man 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 Hosts
has promised this.
5 Though all the peoples each walk
in the name of their gods,(DM)
we will walk(DN) in the name of Yahweh 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 rule over them(DR) in Mount Zion
from this time on and forever.
8 And you, watchtower for the flock,(DS)
fortified hill[l] 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,[m](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 power 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[n] will set apart their plunder(EE)
to the Lord for destruction,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Footnotes
- Micah 1:2 Or land
- Micah 1:3 Or high places
- Micah 1:8 Or eagle owls; lit daughters of the desert
- Micah 1:11 Lit its standing place; Hb obscure
- Micah 1:15 Lit glory
- Micah 2:5 Lit Lord stretching the measuring line by lot
- Micah 2:6 = the prophets
- Micah 2:6 Text emended; MT reads things. Shame will not depart.
- Micah 2:9 Perhaps the land
- Micah 2:11 Or spirit
- Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
- Micah 4:8 Or flock, Ophel
- Micah 4:10 Hb obscure
- Micah 4:13 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads I
Psalm 10
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 10
1 Lord,[a][b] why do You stand so far away?(A)
Why do You hide in times of trouble?(B)
2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted;
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.(C)
3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings;(D)
the one who is greedy curses[c] and despises the Lord.(E)
4 In all his scheming,
the wicked arrogantly thinks:[d]
“There is no accountability,
since God does not exist.”(F)
5 His ways are always secure;[e]
Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight;
he scoffs at all his adversaries.(G)
6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—
from generation to generation without calamity.”(H)
7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth;
trouble and malice are under his tongue.(I)
8 He waits in ambush near the villages;(J)
he kills the innocent in secret places.
His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;(K)
9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket.
He lurks in order to seize the afflicted;
he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.
10 So he is oppressed and beaten down;
the helpless fall because of his strength.(L)
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He hides His face and will never see.”(M)
12 Rise up, Lord God! Lift up Your hand.(N)
Do not forget the afflicted.(O)
13 Why has the wicked person despised God?
He says to himself, “You will not demand an account.”(P)
14 But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief,
observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands.(Q)
The helpless entrusts himself to You;
You are a helper of the fatherless.(R)
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil person;(S)
call his wickedness into account
until nothing remains of it.[f](T)
16 The Lord is King forever and ever;(U)
the nations will perish from His land.(V)
17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;[g]
You will strengthen their hearts.
You will listen carefully,(W)
18 doing justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that men of the earth may terrify them no more.(X)
Footnotes
- Psalm 10:1 Some Hb mss, LXX connect Pss 9–10.
- Psalm 10:1 Together these 2 psalms form a partial acrostic.
- Psalm 10:3 Or he blesses the greedy
- Psalm 10:4 Lit wicked according to the height of his nose
- Psalm 10:5 Or prosperous
- Psalm 10:15 Lit account You do not find
- Psalm 10:17 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read afflicted
Matthew 24
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
24 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple complex,(A) His disciples(B) came up and called His attention to the temple buildings. 2 Then He replied to them, “Don’t you see all these things? I assure you: Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”(C)
4 Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives(D) you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.(E) 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines[a](F) and earthquakes in various places.(G) 8 All these events are the beginning of birth pains.(H)
Persecutions Predicted
9 “Then they will hand you over for persecution,[b] and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name.(I) 10 Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets(J) will rise up and deceive many. 12 Because lawlessness(K) will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.[c] 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[d] as a testimony to all nations.(L) And then the end will come.(M)
The Great Tribulation
15 “So when you see the abomination that causes desolation,[e][f] spoken of by the prophet Daniel,(N) standing in the holy place”(O) (let the reader understand[g]), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 A man on the housetop[h] must not come down to get things out of his house.(P) 18 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation,(Q) the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! 22 Unless those days were limited, no one would[i] survive.[j] But those days will be limited because of the elect.(R)
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’(S) or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it!(T) 24 False messiahs[k] and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,(U) if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘Look, He’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; ‘Look, He’s in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(V) 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures[l] will gather.(W)
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the tribulation(X) of those days:
The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not shed its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the celestial powers will be shaken.
30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth[m] will mourn;[n] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.(Y) 31 He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet,(Z) and they will gather His elect from the four winds,(AA) from one end of the sky to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn this parable(AB) from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize[o] that He[p] is near—at the door!(AC) 34 I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place.(AD) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away,(AE) but My words will never pass away.(AF)
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son[q] —except the Father only.(AG) 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.(AH) 39 They didn’t know[r] until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left.(AI) 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day[s] your Lord is coming.(AJ) 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time[t] the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into.(AK) 44 This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.(AL)
Faithful Service to the Messiah
45 “Who then is a faithful and sensible slave,(AM) whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?(AN) 46 That slave whose master finds him working(AO) when he comes will be rewarded. 47 I assure you: He will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,(AP) 50 that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces[u] and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:7 Other mss add epidemics
- Matthew 24:9 Or tribulation, or distress
- Matthew 24:13 Or be saved
- Matthew 24:14 Or in all the inhabited earth
- Matthew 24:15 Or abomination of desolation, or desolating sacrilege
- Matthew 24:15 Dn 9:27
- Matthew 24:15 These are, most likely, Matthew’s words to his readers.
- Matthew 24:17 Or roof
- Matthew 24:22 Lit short, all flesh would not
- Matthew 24:22 Or be saved or delivered
- Matthew 24:24 Or False christs
- Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
- Matthew 24:30 Or all the tribes of the land
- Matthew 24:30 Lit will beat; that is, beat their breasts
- Matthew 24:33 Or things, you know
- Matthew 24:33 Or it; that is, summer
- Matthew 24:36 Other mss omit nor the Son
- Matthew 24:39 They didn’t know the day and hour of the coming judgment.
- Matthew 24:42 Other mss read hour; = time
- Matthew 24:43 Lit watch; a division of the night in ancient times
- Matthew 24:51 Lit him in two
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