Micah 3-4
Christian Standard Bible
Unjust Leaders Judged
3 Then I said, “Now listen,(A) leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?(B)
2 You hate good and love evil.
You tear off people’s skin(C)
and strip their flesh from their bones.
3 You eat the flesh(D) of my people
after you strip their skin from them
and break their bones.
You chop them up(E)
like flesh for the cooking pot,
like meat in a cauldron.”
4 Then they will cry out(F) to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time(G)
because of the crimes they have committed.
False Prophets Judged
5 This is what the Lord says
concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,(H)
who proclaim(I) peace
when they have food to sink their teeth into
but declare war against the one
who puts nothing in their mouths.
6 Therefore, it will be night(J) for you—
without visions;
it will grow dark for you—
without divination.(K)
The sun will set(L) on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn black over them.
7 Then the seers will be ashamed(M)
and the diviners disappointed.(N)
They will all cover their mouths[a](O)
because there will be no answer from God.(P)
8 As for me, however, I am filled with power(Q)
by the Spirit of the Lord,
with justice and courage,
to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion
and to Israel his sin.(R)
Zion’s Destruction
9 Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,(S)
you rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice(T)
and pervert everything that is right,
10 who build Zion with bloodshed(U)
and Jerusalem with injustice.
11 Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,(V)
her priests teach for payment,(W)
and her prophets practice divination for silver.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Isn’t the Lord(X) among us?
No disaster will overtake us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,(Y)
and the temple’s mountain(Z)
will be a high thicket.(AA)
The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion
4 In the last days(AB)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(AC)
will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,(AD)
2 and many nations will come and say,(AE)
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,(AF)
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways(AG)
so we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion(AH)
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will settle disputes among many peoples(AI)
and provide arbitration for strong nations
that are far away.
They will beat their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.
4 But each person will sit under his grapevine(AJ)
and under his fig tree
with no one to frighten him.(AK)
For the mouth of the Lord(AL) of Armies
has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
in the name of their own gods,(AM)
we will walk(AN) in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.(AO)
6 On that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will assemble the lame
and gather the scattered,(AP)
those I have injured.
7 I will make the lame into a remnant,(AQ)
those far removed into a strong nation.
Then the Lord will reign over them(AR) in Mount Zion
from this time on and forever.
8 And you, watchtower for the flock,(AS)
fortified hill[b] of Daughter Zion,
the former rule(AT) will come to you;
sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.
From Exile to Victory
9 Now, why are you shouting loudly?(AU)
Is there no king with you?
Has your counselor perished(AV)
so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and cry out,[c](AW) Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you will leave the city(AX)
and camp in the open fields.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued;(AY)
there the Lord will redeem you(AZ)
from the grasp of your enemies!
11 Many nations have now assembled against you;(BA)
they say, “Let her be defiled,
and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”
12 But they do not know the Lord’s intentions(BB)
or understand his plan,
that he has gathered them
like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Rise and thresh,(BC) Daughter Zion,
for I will make your horns iron
and your hooves bronze
so you can crush many peoples.(BD)
Then you[d] will set apart their plunder(BE)
for the Lord,
their wealth for the Lord of the whole earth.
Revelation 2:12-29
Christian Standard Bible
The Letter to Pergamum
12 “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword: (A) 13 I know[a] where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me,[b](B) even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness(C) who was put to death among you, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(D) who taught Balak to place a stumbling block[c] in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols(E) and to commit sexual immorality.(F) 15 In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.[d] 16 So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly(G) and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.(H)
17 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna.[e](I) I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name(J) is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Letter to Thyatira
18 “Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God,(K) the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:(L) 19 I know your works—your love, faithfulness,[f] service, and endurance.(M) I know that your last works are greater than the first. 20 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel,(N) who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.(O) 21 I gave her time to repent,(P) but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.(Q) 22 Look, I will throw her into a sickbed(R) and those who commit adultery with her(S) into great affliction.(T) Unless they repent of her[g] works, 23 I will strike her children dead.[h](U) Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts,(V) and I will give to each of you according to your works.(W) 24 I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets[i](X) of Satan”(Y) —as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you.(Z) 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.(AA) 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations—
28 just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.(AD)
29 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Psalm 142
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I reveal my trouble to him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
you know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me.(K)
Footnotes
- 142:4 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read I look to the right and I see
Proverbs 30:21-23
Christian Standard Bible
21 The earth trembles under three things;
it cannot bear up under four:
22 a servant when he becomes king,(A)
a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries,(B)
and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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