False Prophets

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
    “Do not prophesy about these things;
    disgrace(A) will not overtake us.(B)
You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become[a] impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good(C)
    to the one whose ways are upright?(D)
Lately my people have risen up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by without a care,
    like men returning from battle.
You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.(E)
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
    For this is not your resting place,(F)
because it is defiled,(G)
    it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(H) comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(I)
    that would be just the prophet for this people!(J)

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord

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.