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Woe to the Wicked

Woe to those who conceive wickedness,
    to those who devise evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they execute it,
    because it is in the power of their hand.
They covet fields and seize them,
    and houses and take them.
They defraud a man of his house,
    and a fellow man of his inheritance.

Therefore, thus says the Lord:

I am devising disaster against this family,
    from which you cannot remove your necks;
and you will not walk haughtily,
    for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day they will take up a taunt against you,
    and they will wail a wailing lament, and say:
“We are totally ruined!
    He diminishes the portion of my people;
how He removes it from me!
    To a traitor He reassigns our fields!”

Therefore you will not have anyone to apportion the land by lot
    in the assembly of the Lord.

Prophets of Deceit

“Do not prophesy,” they say.
    “One should not prophesy about these things.
    Disgrace will not overtake us.”
Should it be said, O house of Jacob,
    “Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient?
    Are these His deeds?”

Do not My words benefit
    him who walks uprightly?
But lately My people rise up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by trustingly,
    like men returning from war.
The women of My people you drive out
    from their delightful homes;
from their children
    you take My adornment forever.
10 Get up and go,
    for this is not the resting place,
because uncleanness ruins,
    and ruin sickens.
11 If a man, going about vapidly and deceitfully, lies,
    “I will preach for you wine and beer,”
    he would be just the preacher for this people.

The Restoration of Israel

12 I will indeed assemble Jacob—all of you;
    I will indeed gather the remnant of Israel.
I will place them together like sheep in a fold,
    like a herd in its pasture—
    thronging with people.
13 He who breaks through has gone up before them;
    they will break through and pass the gate and go out by it.
Then their king will pass on before them,
    the Lord at their head.

Woe to the Oppressors of God’s People

Woe to those who plan wickedness
    and evil deeds upon their beds!
In the light of the morning they did it,
    because they have power in their hands.
They covet fields and seize them,
    and houses, and they take them away.
They oppress a man and his house;
    a man and his inheritance.

Therefore, thus says Yahweh: Look! I am planning disaster against this family from which you will not be able to remove your necks. You will not walk proudly, for it is a time of disaster.

In that day they will raise a proverb against you,
    and will wail a bitter wailing, saying,
“We are utterly ruined;
    he exchanges the portion of my people.
How he removes it from me;
    he apportions our field to an apostate.”
Therefore you will have no one casting a line by lot
    in the assembly of Yahweh.
“Do not preach!” they are preaching.
    They should not preach to these;
    disgrace will not overtake us.
Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
    Is the patience[a] of Yahweh shortened?
    Are these his deeds?
Are my words not pleasing
    to him who walks upright?
But recently[b] my people have risen up as an enemy;
    from before the cloak you strip off the robe
from those passing by in confidence,
    returning from war.
You have driven out the women of my people
    from the houses of their[c] pleasure.
From their[d] children you have taken away
    my glory forever.
10 Arise and go,
    for this is no resting place,
on account of uncleanness that destroys
    with painful destruction.
11 If a man walks about in a spirit of deception and lies,
    saying “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
    then he would be a preacher for this people!
12 I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;
    I will surely gather together the remainder of Israel.
I will set them like sheep of Bozrah.
Like a herd in the midst of their pasture
    they will be in tumult from people.
13 The one who breaks out before them goes up;
    they break through and pass the gate,
    going out through it.
Their king passes before them,
    Yahweh at their head.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:7 Or “spirit”
  2. Micah 2:8 Literally “yesterday”
  3. Micah 2:9 Hebrew “her”
  4. Micah 2:9 Hebrew “her”