Micah 3
The Voice
3 Listen to what I say, you leaders of Jacob who judge,
you rulers of the people of Israel who sit in the city gates.
Shouldn’t you know what justice is?
2 Yet you hate what is good and love evil;
you skin the people alive and tear the meat from their bones.
3 These selfish judges eat the flesh of my people,
strip off their skin, break their bones into splinters,
And chop them up like stew meat for the kettle,
like meat for the pot.
4 In that time something dire will happen, and they will call on the Eternal,
but He will not answer them.
He will hide His face from them then
because they have acted so wickedly.
5 This is my message for the false prophets
who have led my people so far from the truth,
Who preach peace when someone pays them with food
and declare war against those who don’t:
6 “It will be a dark night, too dark for you who lack vision,
and it will be darkness for you who cannot divine.”
The sun will go down on these so-called prophets,
and the day will be black all around them.
7 The seers will be in disgrace,
and those who predict the future ashamed.
They will keep their mouths shut
because there will be no word from God.
8 But that is not the case with me—I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Eternal One, with God’s justice and might,
To accuse Jacob of his crimes
and the daughter of Israel of her wrongdoing.
9 Now listen closely you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel
who hate what is right and just and make the straight path into a crooked road,
10 Who build Zion with innocent blood
and Jerusalem with wrongdoing.
11 Her leaders exchange justice for a bribe; her priests teach, but for a price;
her prophets divine for money,
Yet they have the gall to say as they lean on the Eternal,
“He is on our side! Nothing bad will happen to us!”
12 All of this is why Zion will be plowed flat as a field,
Jerusalem will become a tumble of rubble,
And the temple mountain will become an ordinary high place in the forest.
Micah 3
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Will Not Answer
3 And I said,
“(A)Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to (B)know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
Who (C)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 And who (D)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And (E)spread them out as for the pot
And as meat in a caldron.”
4 Then they will (F)cry out to Yahweh,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (G)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (H)practiced evil deeds.
5 Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who (I)lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (J)call out, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths,
They set themselves apart for war.
6 Therefore it will be (K)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (L)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will grow black over them.
7 The seers will be (M)ashamed,
And the (N)diviners will be humiliated.
Indeed, they will all (O)cover their [a]mouths
Because there is (P)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand (Q)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of Yahweh—
And with justice and might
To (R)declare to Jacob his transgression,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, (S)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (T)abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (U)build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her heads pronounce (V)judgment for a bribe,
And her (W)priests instruct for a price,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on Yahweh saying,
“(X)Is not Yahweh in our midst?
Evil will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
(Y)Zion will be plowed as a field;
(Z)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (AA)mountain of the house of God will become high places of a forest.
Footnotes
- Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.