Micah 3-4

International Standard Version

⁵ “This is what the Lord says about the prophets
    who are causing my people to go astray,
who are calling out ‘Peace’ when they’re being fed,^[c]
    but who declare war against those who won’t feed them:^[d]
6 ‘You will have nights without visions,
    and darkness without prophecy.
The sun will set on the prophets,
    and the day will darken for them.
⁷ Those who see visions will be put to shame,
    and the diviners will be disgraced—every one of them—
they will cover their faces,^[e]
    because there will be no answer from God.’”

⁸ “As for me, I am truly filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord,
    filled^[f] with judgment and power
to announce to Jacob his transgression,
    and to Israel his sin.
⁹ Please listen to this, you leaders of the house of Jacob,
    you officials of the house of Israel,
you who hate administering justice,
    who pervert the very meaning of^[g] equity,
¹⁰ who are building up Zion by means of bloodshed,
    and Jerusalem by means of iniquity.
¹¹ Her leaders judge for the money,
    her priests teach only when they’re paid,
        and her prophets prophesy for cash.
Even so, don’t they all rely on the Lord as they ask,
    ‘The Lord is among us, is he not?
        Nothing bad can possibly happen to us!’
¹² “Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed up like a field,
    and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble,
        and the Temple Mount like a forest high place.”

4 “But in the last days it will come about
    that the Temple Mount of the Lord will be firmly set
        as the leading mountain.
It will be exalted above its surrounding^[h] hills,
    and people will stream toward it.
² Many nations will approach and say,
    ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
        and to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
    He will teach us about his ways,
        and we will walk according to his directions.’
“Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion,
    and the message of the Lord from Jerusalem.
³ And he will judge among many people,
    rebuking strong nations far away;
and they will reshape their swords as plowshares
    and their spears as pruning hooks.
No nation will threaten another,^[i]
    nor will they train for war anymore.
⁴ Instead, each man will sit in the shade of^[j] his grape vines
    and beneath the shade of^[k] his fig tree,”
        since the^[l] Lord of the Heavenly Armies has spoken.
⁵ “Because all of the people will walk,
    each person in the name of his God,
        and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

⁸ “And you, watchtower of the flock,
    you stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
it will happen even to you:
        The former dominion, even the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem, will come.
⁹ Why are you crying so loud now?
    There’s no king among you, is there?
Perhaps your advisor has died?
    For pain has overtaken you like a woman in labor.
¹⁰ Be in pain! Be in labor, you daughter of Zion,
    like a woman about to give birth,
because now you will depart from the city,
    living in the open fields.
To Babylon you will go.
    There you will be delivered,
        there the Lord will rescue you from the power^[m] of your enemies.”

¹¹ “Now many nations have gathered against you, saying,
    ‘Let her be defiled,’ and
        ‘Let’s look down on Zion.’
¹² But they don’t know the thoughts of the Lord,
    and they don’t understand his tactics,
        for he will gather them like harvested grain to his threshing floor.
¹³ Get up and smash^[n] them to pieces, daughter of Zion,
    because I will make your horn like iron
        and your hooves like bronze!
And you will beat many people to pieces,
    and I will consecrate their dishonest^[o] gain to the Lord
        and their assets to the Lord of the entire earth.”