Micah 1-4
New American Standard Bible 1995
Destruction in Israel and Judah
1 The (A)word of the Lord which came to (B)Micah of Moresheth in the days of (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, O peoples, all of [a]you;
(F)Listen, O earth and [b]all it contains,
And let the Lord [c]God be a (G)witness against you,
The Lord from His holy temple.
3 For behold, the Lord is (H)coming forth from His place.
He will come down and (I)tread on the high places of the [d]earth.
4 (J)The mountains will melt under Him
And the valleys will be split,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for the rebellion of Jacob
And for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the (K)rebellion of Jacob?
Is it not (L)Samaria?
What is the (M)high [e]place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 For I will make Samaria a (N)heap of ruins [f]in the open country,
(O)Planting places for a vineyard.
I will (P)pour her stones down into the valley
And will (Q)lay bare her foundations.
7 All of her (R)idols will be smashed,
All of her earnings will be burned with fire
And all of her images I will make desolate,
For she collected them from a (S)harlot’s earnings,
And to the earnings of a harlot they will return.
8 Because of this I must lament and wail,
I must go (T)barefoot and naked;
I must make a lament like the (U)jackals
And a mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her [g](V)wound is incurable,
For (W)it has come to Judah;
It has reached the (X)gate of my people,
Even to Jerusalem.
10 (Y)Tell it not in Gath,
Weep not at all.
At [h]Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust.
11 [i]Go on your way, inhabitant of [j]Shaphir, in (Z)shameful nakedness.
The inhabitant of [k](AA)Zaanan does not [l]escape.
The lamentation of [m]Beth-ezel: “He will take from you its [n]support.”
12 For the inhabitant of [o]Maroth
Becomes weak (AB)waiting for good,
Because a calamity has come down from the Lord
To the (AC)gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
O inhabitant of (AD)Lachish—
She was the beginning of sin
To the daughter of Zion—
Because in you were found
The (AE)rebellious acts of Israel.
14 Therefore you will give parting (AF)gifts
On behalf of Moresheth-gath;
The houses of (AG)Achzib will become a (AH)deception
To the kings of Israel.
15 Moreover, I will bring on you
The one who takes possession,
O inhabitant of [p](AI)Mareshah.
The glory of Israel will enter (AJ)Adullam.
16 Make yourself (AK)bald and cut off your hair,
Because of the children of your delight;
Extend your baldness like the eagle,
For they will (AL)go from you into exile.
Woe to Oppressors
2 Woe to those who (AM)scheme iniquity,
Who work out evil on their beds!
[q](AN)When morning comes, they do it,
For it is in the (AO)power of their hands.
2 They (AP)covet fields and then (AQ)seize them,
And houses, and take them away.
They [r](AR)rob a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says the Lord,
“Behold, I am (AS)planning against this (AT)family a calamity
From which you (AU)cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk (AV)haughtily,
For it will be an (AW)evil time.
4 “On that day they will (AX)take up against you a [s]taunt
And [t](AY)utter a bitter lamentation and say,
‘We are completely (AZ)destroyed!
He exchanges the portion of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the apostate He (BA)apportions our fields.’
5 “Therefore you will have no one [u](BB)stretching a measuring line
For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord.
6 ‘(BC)Do not [v]speak out,’ so they [w]speak out.
But if [x]they do (BD)not [y]speak out concerning these things,
(BE)Reproaches will not be turned back.
7 “Is it being said, O house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord (BF)impatient?
Are these His doings?’
Do not My words (BG)do good
To the one (BH)walking uprightly?
8 “[z]Recently My people have arisen as an (BI)enemy—
You (BJ)strip the [aa]robe off the garment
From (BK)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 “The women of My people you (BL)evict,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My (BM)splendor forever.
10 “Arise and go,
For this is no place (BN)of rest
Because of the (BO)uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 “If a man walking after wind and (BP)falsehood
Had told lies and said,
‘I will [ab]speak out to you concerning (BQ)wine and liquor,’
He would be [ac]spokesman to (BR)this people.
12 “I will surely (BS)assemble all of you, Jacob,
I will surely gather the (BT)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 the Lord at their head.”
Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“(BU)Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to (BV)know justice?
2 “You who hate good and love evil,
Who (BW)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who (BX)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones
And (BY)chop them up as for the pot
And as meat in a kettle.”
4 Then they will (BZ)cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (CA)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (CB)practiced evil deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who (CC)lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (CD)cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be (CE)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (CF)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be (CG)ashamed
And the (CH)diviners will be embarrassed.
Indeed, they will all (CI)cover their [ad]mouths
Because there is (CJ)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand (CK)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To (CL)make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, (CM)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (CN)abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (CO)build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her leaders pronounce (CP)judgment for a bribe,
Her (CQ)priests instruct for a price
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord saying,
“(CR)Is not the Lord in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
(CS)Zion will be plowed as a field,
(CT)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (CU)mountain of the [ae]temple will become high places of a forest.
Peaceful Latter Days
4 And it will come about in the (CV)last days
That the (CW)mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established [af]as the chief of the mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
And the (CX)peoples will stream to it.
2 (CY)Many nations will come and say,
“(CZ)Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
That (DA)He may teach us about His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For (DB)from Zion will go forth the law,
Even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And He will (DC)judge between many peoples
And render decisions for mighty, [ag]distant nations.
Then they will hammer their swords (DD)into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they [ah]train for war.
4 Each of them will (DE)sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With (DF)no one to make them afraid,
For the (DG)mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
Each in the (DH)name of his god,
As for us, (DI)we will walk
In the name of the (DJ)Lord our God forever and ever.
6 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will assemble the (DK)lame
And (DL)gather the outcasts,
Even those whom I have afflicted.
7 “I will make the lame a (DM)remnant
And the outcasts a strong nation,
And the (DN)Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion
From now on and forever.
8 “As for you, [ai](DO)tower of the flock,
[aj]Hill of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come—
Even the (DP)former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 “Now, why do you (DQ)cry out loudly?
Is there no king among you,
Or has your (DR)counselor perished,
That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
10 “(DS)Writhe and labor to give birth,
Daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will (DT)go out of the city,
Dwell in the field,
And go to Babylon.
(DU)There you will be rescued;
(DV)There the Lord will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.
11 “And now (DW)many nations have been assembled against you
Who say, ‘Let her be polluted,
And let our eyes [ak]gloat over Zion.’
12 “But they do not (DX)know the thoughts of the Lord,
And they do not understand His purpose;
For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Arise and (DY)thresh, daughter of Zion,
For your horn I will make iron
And your hoofs I will make bronze,
That you may (DZ)pulverize many peoples,
That you may (EA)devote to the Lord their unjust gain
And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Footnotes
- Micah 1:2 Lit them
- Micah 1:2 Lit its fullness
- Micah 1:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Micah 1:3 Or land
- Micah 1:5 Lit places
- Micah 1:6 Lit of the field
- Micah 1:9 Lit wounds
- Micah 1:10 I.e. house of dust
- Micah 1:11 I.e. Go into captivity
- Micah 1:11 I.e. pleasantness
- Micah 1:11 I.e. going out
- Micah 1:11 Lit go out
- Micah 1:11 I.e. house of removal
- Micah 1:11 Lit standing place
- Micah 1:12 I.e. bitterness
- Micah 1:15 I.e. possession
- Micah 2:1 Lit In the light of the morning
- Micah 2:2 Lit oppress
- Micah 2:4 Or proverb
- Micah 2:4 Lit lament
- Micah 2:5 Lit casting
- Micah 2:6 Lit flow
- Micah 2:6 Lit flow
- Micah 2:6 I.e. God’s prophets
- Micah 2:6 Lit flow
- Micah 2:8 Lit And yesterday
- Micah 2:8 Or ornaments
- Micah 2:11 Lit flow
- Micah 2:11 Lit one who flows oracles
- Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
- Micah 3:12 Lit house
- Micah 4:1 Lit on
- Micah 4:3 Lit at a distance
- Micah 4:3 Lit learn
- Micah 4:8 Heb Migdal-eder
- Micah 4:8 Heb Ophel of
- Micah 4:11 Lit look on
Psalm 10
New American Standard Bible 1995
A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.
10 Why (A)do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why (B)do You hide [a]Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In (C)pride the wicked [b]hotly pursue the afflicted;
[c]Let them be (D)caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked (E)boasts of his (F)heart’s desire,
And [d]the greedy man curses and (G)spurns the Lord.
4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, (H)does not seek Him.
All his [e]thoughts are, “(I)There is no God.”
5 His ways [f](J)prosper at all times;
Your judgments are on high, (K)out of his sight;
As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
6 He says to himself, “(L)I will not be moved;
[g]Throughout all generations (M)I will not be in adversity.”
7 His (N)mouth is full of curses and deceit and (O)oppression;
(P)Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
8 He sits in the (Q)lurking places of the villages;
In the hiding places he (R)kills the innocent;
His eyes [h]stealthily watch for the [i](S)unfortunate.
9 He lurks in a hiding place as (T)a lion in his [j]lair;
He (U)lurks to catch (V)the afflicted;
He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his (W)net.
10 He [k]crouches, he [l]bows down,
And the [m]unfortunate fall [n]by his mighty ones.
11 He (X)says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
12 Arise, O Lord; O God, (Y)lift up Your hand.
(Z)Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why has the wicked (AA)spurned God?
He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”
14 You have seen it, for You have beheld (AB)mischief and vexation to [o]take it into Your hand.
The [p](AC)unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the (AD)helper of the orphan.
15 (AE)Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
[q](AF)Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16 The Lord is (AG)King forever and ever;
(AH)Nations have perished from His land.
17 O Lord, You have heard the (AI)desire of the [r]humble;
You will (AJ)strengthen their heart, (AK)You will incline Your ear
18 To [s]vindicate the (AL)orphan and the (AM)oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause (AN)terror.
Footnotes
- Psalm 10:1 Or Your eyes
- Psalm 10:2 Lit burn
- Psalm 10:2 Or They will be caught
- Psalm 10:3 Or blesses the greedy man
- Psalm 10:4 Or plots
- Psalm 10:5 Lit are strong
- Psalm 10:6 Lit To
- Psalm 10:8 Lit lie in wait
- Psalm 10:8 Or poor
- Psalm 10:9 Or thicket
- Psalm 10:10 Or is crushed
- Psalm 10:10 Or is bowed down
- Psalm 10:10 Or poor
- Psalm 10:10 Or into his claws
- Psalm 10:14 Lit put, give
- Psalm 10:14 Or poor
- Psalm 10:15 Or May You seek
- Psalm 10:17 Or afflicted
- Psalm 10:18 Lit judge
Matthew 24
New American Standard Bible 1995
Signs of Christ’s Return
24 (A)Jesus (B)came out from the temple and was going away [a]when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, (C)not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”
3 As He was sitting on (D)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of (E)Your coming, and of the [b]end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “(F)See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For (G)many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [c]Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of (H)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For (I)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be (J)famines and earthquakes. 8 (K)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9 “(L)Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and (M)you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many will [d](N)fall away and will [e]betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many (O)false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, [f]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 (P)But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This (Q)gospel of the kingdom (R)shall be preached in the whole [g](S)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Perilous Times
15 “Therefore when you see the (T)abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in (U)the holy place ((V)let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 [h]Whoever is on (W)the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 [i]Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But (X)woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be a (Y)great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no [j]life would have been saved; but for (Z)the sake of the [k]elect those days will be cut short. 23 (AA)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the [l]Christ,’ or ‘[m]There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and (AB)false prophets will arise and will [n]show great [o](AC)signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even (AD)the [p]elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 (AE)For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the (AF)coming of the (AG)Son of Man be. 28 (AH)Wherever the corpse is, there the [q]vultures will gather.
The Glorious Return
29 “But immediately after the (AI)tribulation of those days (AJ)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (AK)the stars will fall from [r]the sky, and the powers of [s]the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then (AL)the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see (AM)the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And (AN)He will send forth His angels with (AO)a great trumpet and they will gather together His [t](AP)elect from (AQ)the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, [u]recognize that [v]He is near, right (AR)at the [w]door. 34 Truly I say to you, (AS)this [x]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AT)Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 “But (AU)of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For [y]the (AV)coming of the Son of Man will be (AW)just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, (AX)marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that (AY)Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not [z]understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the (AZ)coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one [aa]will be taken and one [ab]will be left. 41 (BA)Two women will be grinding at the [ac](BB)mill; one [ad]will be taken and one [ae]will be left.
Be Ready for His Coming
42 “Therefore (BC)be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But [af]be sure of this, that (BD)if the head of the house had known (BE)at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be [ag]broken into. 44 For this reason (BF)you also must be ready; for (BG)the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
45 “(BH)Who then is the (BI)faithful and (BJ)sensible slave whom his [ah]master (BK)put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his [ai]master finds so doing when he comes. 47 Truly I say to you that (BL)he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My [aj]master [ak]is not coming for a long time,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; 50 the [al]master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, 51 and will [am]cut him in pieces and [an]assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be (BM)weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Footnotes
- Matthew 24:1 Lit and
- Matthew 24:3 Or consummation
- Matthew 24:5 I.e. the Messiah
- Matthew 24:10 Lit be caused to stumble
- Matthew 24:10 Or hand over
- Matthew 24:12 Lit the love of many
- Matthew 24:14 Lit inhabited earth
- Matthew 24:17 Lit He who
- Matthew 24:18 Lit He who
- Matthew 24:22 Lit flesh
- Matthew 24:22 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:23 I.e. Messiah
- Matthew 24:23 Lit here
- Matthew 24:24 Lit give
- Matthew 24:24 Or attesting miracles
- Matthew 24:24 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:28 Or eagles
- Matthew 24:29 Or heaven
- Matthew 24:29 Or heaven
- Matthew 24:31 Or chosen ones
- Matthew 24:33 Or know
- Matthew 24:33 Or it
- Matthew 24:33 Lit doors
- Matthew 24:34 Or race
- Matthew 24:37 Lit just as...were the days
- Matthew 24:39 Lit know
- Matthew 24:40 Lit is
- Matthew 24:40 Lit is
- Matthew 24:41 I.e. handmill
- Matthew 24:41 Lit is
- Matthew 24:41 Lit is
- Matthew 24:43 Lit know this
- Matthew 24:43 Lit dug through
- Matthew 24:45 Or lord
- Matthew 24:46 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Or lord
- Matthew 24:48 Lit lingers
- Matthew 24:50 Or lord
- Matthew 24:51 Or severely scourge him
- Matthew 24:51 Lit appoint his portion
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
