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True and False Prophets

“Don’t say such things,”
    the people respond.[a]
“Don’t prophesy like that.
    Such disasters will never come our way!”

Should you talk that way, O family of Israel?[b]
    Will the Lord’s Spirit have patience with such behavior?
If you would do what is right,
    you would find my words comforting.
Yet to this very hour
    my people rise against me like an enemy!
You steal the shirts right off the backs
    of those who trusted you,
making them as ragged as men
    returning from battle.
You have evicted women from their pleasant homes
    and forever stripped their children of all that God would give them.
10 Up! Begone!
    This is no longer your land and home,
for you have filled it with sin
    and ruined it completely.

11 Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you,
    “I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!”
That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!

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Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Or the prophets respond; Hebrew reads they prophesy.
  2. 2:7 Hebrew O house of Jacob? See note on 1:5a.

(A)Do not prophesy,’ so they prophesy.
But if [a]they do (B)not prophesy about these things,
(C)Insults will not be turned back.
Is it being said, house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord (D)impatient?
Are these His works?’
Do My words not (E)do good
For the one (F)walking rightly?
[b]Recently My people have arisen as an (G)enemy—
You (H)strip the robe off the garment
From (I)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
You (J)evict the women of My people,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My (K)splendor forever.
10 Arise and go,
For this is no place (L)of rest
Because of the (M)uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 If someone walking after wind and (N)falsehood
Had lied and said,
‘I will prophesy to you about (O)wine and liquor,’
He would become a prophet to (P)this people.

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:6 I.e., God’s prophets
  2. Micah 2:8 Lit And yesterday