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Chapter 2

Those Who Covet Fields and Homes

Woe to those who plot evil,
    who lie in their beds planning iniquity.
When morning dawns they perform their wicked deeds
    since they have the power to do so.
They seize the fields that they covet;
    they confiscate houses as well.
They lay hands on the owner of a house,
    and take his inheritance as well.

Therefore, thus says the Lord:

Behold, I am planning against this people an evil
    from which you will not be able to save your necks.
Nor will you walk proudly,
    for it will be a time of disaster.
On that day they will ridicule you,
    and your mournful dirge will be heard:
“We are utterly ruined;
    our land has been appropriated by our captors.
Our fields have been awarded to renegades,
    and no one can retrieve them.”
Therefore, you will have no one
    to divide the land by lot
    in the assembly of the Lord.

Against Prophets of Ease

“Do not preach,” they advise;
    “one should not expound on such matters;
    disgrace will not overtake us.”
O house of Jacob, should it be said:
    “Has the Lord’s patience been exhausted?
    Does he do such things?
His words only prophesy good
    to those who are upright.”
But now you have risen up
    as an enemy to my people.
You strip the cloaks from travelers
    who pass by peacefully,
    or from soldiers returning from battle.
The women of my people you drive forth
    from their pleasant homes
and deprive their children
    of my glory forever,
10 commanding them, “Get up and depart,
    for you cannot stay here.”
To obtain something worthless for yourselves,
    you do not hesitate to practice extortion.

I Will Assemble the Remnant of Israel

11 If someone were to go about
    uttering falsehoods and lies, and saying,
“I prophesy that you will have your fill
    of wine and strong drink,”
such a man would be the perfect prophet
    for a people like this.
12 I will gather all of you together, O Jacob;
    I will assemble the remnant of Israel.
I will gather them together
    like sheep into a fold,
like a flock in a pasture;
    no longer will they be filled with panic.
13 With their leader proceeding before them,
    they shall break through the gate and go out.
Their king will go forth before them,
    the Lord at their head.

Woe to the Oppressors

(A)Woe to those who devise wickedness
    and work evil (B)on their beds!
When the morning dawns, they perform it,
    because it is in the power of their hand.
They covet fields and (C)seize them,
    and houses, and take them away;
they oppress a man and his house,
    a man and his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the Lord:
behold, against (D)this family I am devising disaster,[a]
    from which you cannot remove your necks,
and you (E)shall not walk haughtily,
    (F)for it will be a time of disaster.
In that day (G)they shall take up a taunt song against you
    and moan bitterly,
and say, “We are utterly ruined;
    (H)he changes the portion of my people;
(I)how he removes it from me!
    (J)To an apostate he allots our fields.”
Therefore you will have none (K)to cast the line by lot
    in the assembly of the Lord.

(L)“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
    (M)“one should not preach of such things;
    (N)disgrace will not overtake us.”
Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
    (O)Has the Lord grown impatient?[b]
    Are these his deeds?
Do not my words do good
    to him who walks uprightly?
But lately (P)my people have risen up as an enemy;
you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly
    with no thought of war.[c]
The women of my people you drive out
    from their delightful houses;
from their young children you take away
    my splendor forever.
10 (Q)Arise and go,
    for this is no (R)place to rest,
because of (S)uncleanness that destroys
    with a grievous destruction.
11 If a man should go about and (T)utter wind and lies,
    saying, “I will preach to you (U)of wine and strong drink,”
    he would be the preacher for this people!
12 I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob;
    (V)I will gather (W)the remnant of Israel;
I will set them together
    like sheep in a fold,
(X)like a flock in its pasture,
    a noisy multitude of men.
13 (Y)He who opens the breach goes up before them;
    they break through and pass the gate,
    (Z)going out by it.
Their king passes on before them,
    (AA)the Lord at their head.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:3 The same Hebrew word can mean evil or disaster, depending on the context
  2. Micah 2:7 Hebrew Has the spirit of the Lord grown short?
  3. Micah 2:8 Or returning from war

Guai a quelli che meditano l'iniquità e progettano il male sui loro letti; alla luce del mattino lo compiono, perché è in potere delle loro mani.

Desiderano grandemente campi e li prendono con la violenza, case e se le prendono cosí opprimono con frode l'uomo e la sua casa, l'individuo e la sua proprietà.

Perciò cosí dice l'Eterno: «Ecco, io tramo contro questa stirpe una sventura, da cui non potrete sottrarre il vostro collo, né camminerete a testa alta, perché sarà tempo di sventura.

In quel giorno comporranno un proverbio su di voi, e innalzeranno un accorato lamento, e diranno: "Siamo interamente distrutti" Egli ha cambiato l'eredità del mio popolo. Ah, come me l'ha portata via! I nostri campi li ha distribuiti agli infedeli».

Perciò non ci sarà piú nessuno che tiri la corda per te, per tirare a sorte nell'assemblea dell'Eterno.

«Non profetizzate», dicono ai loro profeti. Cosí essi non profetizzeranno circa queste cose, ma non allontaneranno la loro ignominia.

E detto, o casa di Giacobbe: «E lo Spirito dell'Eterno limitato, o sono queste le sue opere? Non rendono forse le mie parole raggiante chi cammina rettamente?

Ma ultimamente il mio popolo è insorto come un nemico, voi portate via il mantello e la veste ai passanti che si credono al sicuro, a quelli che tornano dalla guerra.

Voi scacciate le donne del mio popolo dalle loro deliziose case, e rapite per sempre la mia gloria ai loro bambini.

10 Levatevi e andatevene, perché questo non è luogo di riposo; poiché è contaminato, vi distruggerà con una distruzione orrenda.

11 Anche se un uomo camminasse in uno spirito di falsità e spacciasse menzogne, dicendo: "Io predirò per te vino e bevanda inebriante" egli sarebbe un profeta per questo popolo».

12 «Ti radunerò certamente tutto quanto, o Giacobbe, radunerò certamente il residuo d'Israele; li metterò assieme come pecore in un ovile, come un gregge in mezzo al suo pascolo; faranno un grande rumore per la moltitudine di uomini.

13 Chi aprirà la breccia salirà davanti a loro; essi penetreranno, passeranno per la porta e per essa usciranno; il loro re camminerà davanti a loro e l'Eterno sarà alla loro testa».