Chronological
Calamity in Israel and Judah
1 The (A)word of [a]Yahweh which came to (B)Micah of Moresheth in the days of (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz, and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he beheld concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, O peoples, all of [b]you;
(F)Give heed, O earth, as well as its fullness,
And let Lord Yahweh be a (G)witness against you,
The Lord from His holy temple.
3 For behold, Yahweh is (H)going forth from His place.
He will come down and (I)tread on the high places of the [c]earth.
4 (J)The mountains will melt under Him,
And the valleys will be split,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for the transgression of Jacob
And for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the (K)transgression of Jacob?
Is it not (L)Samaria?
What is the (M)high [d]place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 So I will make Samaria a (N)heap of ruins in the field,
(O)Planting places for a vineyard.
And I will (P)pour her stones down into the valley
And will (Q)lay bare her foundations.
7 And all of her (R)graven images will be smashed,
And all of her earnings will be burned with fire
And all of her idols I will make desolate,
For she collected them from a (S)harlot’s earnings,
And to the earnings of a harlot they will return.
8 Because of this I must lament and wail;
I must go (T)barefoot and naked;
I must make a lament like the (U)jackals
And a mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her [e](V)wound is incurable,
For (W)it has come to Judah;
It has reached the (X)gate of my people,
Even to Jerusalem.
10 (Y)Tell it not in Gath,
Weep not at all.
At [f]Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust.
11 [g]Pass on by, inhabitant of [h]Shaphir, in (Z)shameful nakedness.
The inhabitant of [i](AA)Zaanan does not go out.
The lamentation of [j]Beth-ezel: “He will take from you its [k]support.”
12 For the inhabitant of [l]Maroth
Writhes (AB)in waiting for good
Because a [m]calamity has come down from Yahweh
To the (AC)gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
O inhabitant of (AD)Lachish—
She was the beginning of sin
To the daughter of Zion—
Because in you were found
The (AE)transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore you will give parting (AF)gifts
On behalf of [n]Moresheth-gath;
The houses of [o](AG)Achzib will become a (AH)deception
To the kings of Israel.
15 Moreover, I will bring on you
The one who takes possession,
O inhabitant of [p](AI)Mareshah.
The glory of Israel will enter (AJ)Adullam.
16 Make yourself (AK)bald and cut off your hair,
Because of the children of your delight;
Extend your baldness like the eagle,
For they will (AL)go from you into exile.
An Evil Time
2 Woe to those who (AM)devise wickedness,
Who work out evil on their beds!
(AN)When the light of the morning comes, they do it,
For it is in the (AO)power of their hands.
2 And they (AP)covet fields and then (AQ)tear them away,
And houses, and take them away.
And they (AR)oppress a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says Yahweh,
“Behold, I am (AS)devising against this (AT)family an evil demise
From which you (AU)cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk (AV)haughtily,
For it will be an (AW)evil time.
4 On that day they will (AX)take up against you a [q]taunt
And [r](AY)utter a bitter wailing and say,
‘We are completely (AZ)devastated!
He exchanges the portion of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the faithless one, He (BA)apportions our fields.’
5 Therefore you will have no one [s](BB)stretching a measuring line
For you by lot in the assembly of Yahweh.
6 ‘(BC)Do not speak, dripping out words,’ they say while dripping out words.
But if [t]they do (BD)not drip out words concerning these things,
(BE)Dishonor will not be turned back.
7 Is it being said, O house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of Yahweh (BF)impatient?
Are these His deeds?’
Do not My words (BG)do good
To the one (BH)walking uprightly?
8 [u]And recently My people have arisen as an (BI)enemy—
You (BJ)strip the [v]robe off the garment
From (BK)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 The women of My people you (BL)drive out,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her infants you take My (BM)splendor forever.
10 Arise and go,
For this is no place (BN)of rest
Because of the (BO)uncleanness that wreaks destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 If a man walking after wind and (BP)lying
Had acted falsely and said,
‘I will speak, dripping out words to you concerning (BQ)wine and liquor,’
He would be one who drips out words as a spokesman to (BR)this people.
12 “I will surely (BS)assemble all of you, Jacob;
I will surely gather the (BT)remnant of Israel.
I will put them together like sheep in the fold;
Like a flock in the midst of its pasture
They will be noisy with men.
13 The breaker goes up before them;
They break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it.
So their king goes on before them,
And Yahweh at their head.”
Yahweh Will Not Answer
3 And I said,
“(BU)Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to (BV)know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
Who (BW)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 And who (BX)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And (BY)spread them out as for the pot
And as meat in a caldron.”
4 Then they will (BZ)cry out to Yahweh,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (CA)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (CB)practiced evil deeds.
5 Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who (CC)lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (CD)call out, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths,
They set themselves apart for war.
6 Therefore it will be (CE)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (CF)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will grow black over them.
7 The seers will be (CG)ashamed,
And the (CH)diviners will be humiliated.
Indeed, they will all (CI)cover their [w]mouths
Because there is (CJ)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand (CK)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of Yahweh—
And with justice and might
To (CL)declare to Jacob his transgression,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, (CM)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (CN)abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (CO)build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her heads pronounce (CP)judgment for a bribe,
And her (CQ)priests instruct for a price,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on Yahweh saying,
“(CR)Is not Yahweh in our midst?
Evil will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
(CS)Zion will be plowed as a field;
(CT)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (CU)mountain of the house of God will become high places of a forest.
The Law Will Go Forth from Zion
4 Now it will be that in the (CV)last days
The (CW)mountain of the house of Yahweh
Will be established [x]as the head of the mountains,
And will be lifted up above the hills,
And the (CX)peoples will stream to it.
2 (CY)And many nations will come and say,
“(CZ)Come and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh
And to the house of the God of Jacob,
That (DA)He may instruct us from His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For (DB)from Zion will go forth the law,
And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
3 And He will (DC)judge between many peoples
And will render decisions for mighty, [y]distant nations.
And they will hammer their swords (DD)into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.
4 And each of them will (DE)sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With (DF)no one to make them tremble,
For the (DG)mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
Each in the (DH)name of his god,
As for us, (DI)we will walk
In the name of (DJ)Yahweh our God forever and ever.
6 “In that day,” declares Yahweh,
“I will assemble the (DK)lame
And (DL)gather the banished,
Even those upon whom I have brought calamity.
7 I will make the lame a (DM)remnant
And the outcasts a mighty nation,
And (DN)Yahweh will reign over them in Mount Zion
From now on and forever.
8 And as for you, [z](DO)tower of the flock,
[aa]Hill of the daughter of Zion,
To you it will come—
Even the (DP)former dominion will come,
The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 “Now, why do you (DQ)make a loud shout?
Is there no king among you,
Or has your (DR)counselor perished,
That writhing has taken hold of you like a woman in childbirth?
10 (DS)Writhe and labor to give birth,
Daughter of Zion,
Like a woman in childbirth;
For now you will (DT)go out of the city,
Dwell in the field,
And go to Babylon.
(DU)There you will be delivered;
(DV)There Yahweh will redeem you
From the hand of your enemies.
11 But now (DW)many nations have been assembled against you
Who say, ‘Let her be polluted,
And let our eyes behold Zion in triumph.’
12 But they do not (DX)know the thoughts of Yahweh,
And they do not understand His counsel;
For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Arise and (DY)thresh, daughter of Zion,
For your horn I will make iron,
And your hoofs I will make bronze,
That you may (DZ)pulverize many peoples,
That you may (EA)devote to Yahweh their greedy gain unto destruction
And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
The Ruler Will Come from Bethlehem
5 “[ab]Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
[ac]They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will (EB)strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 [ad]But as for (EC)you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From (ED)you One will go forth for Me to be (EE)ruler in Israel.
[ae]His goings forth are (EF)from everlasting,
From the ancient days.”
3 Therefore He will (EG)give them up until the time
When she (EH)who is in childbirth has borne a child.
Then the (EI)remainder of His brothers
Will return to the sons of Israel.
4 And He will stand and (EJ)shepherd His flock
In the strength of Yahweh,
In the majesty of the name of Yahweh His God.
And they will [af]remain
Because [ag]at that time He will be great
To the (EK)ends of the earth.
5 And this One (EL)will be peace.
When the (EM)Assyrian enters our land,
When he treads on our [ah]citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princes of men.
6 And they will (EN)shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
The land of (EO)Nimrod at its entrances;
And He will (EP)deliver us from the Assyrian
When he enters our land
And when he treads within our borders.
7 Then the (EQ)remnant of Jacob
Will be among many peoples
Like (ER)dew from Yahweh,
Like (ES)showers on vegetation
Which do not hope for man
Or wait for the sons of men.
8 Then the remnant of Jacob
Will be among the nations,
Among many peoples
(ET)Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Which, if it passes through,
(EU)Tramples down and (EV)tears,
And there is (EW)none to deliver.
9 Your hand will be (EX)raised up against your adversaries,
And all your enemies will be cut off.
10 “And it will be in that day,” declares Yahweh,
“(EY)That I will cut off your (EZ)horses from among you
And destroy your chariots.
11 And I will cut off the (FA)cities of your land
And pull down all your (FB)fortifications.
12 And I will cut off (FC)sorceries from your hand,
And you will have soothsaying no more.
13 (FD)And I will cut off your graven images
And your sacred pillars from among you
So that you will no longer worship
The work of your hands.
14 And I will uproot your [ai](FE)Asherim from among you
And [aj]eradicate your cities.
15 And I will (FF)execute vengeance in anger and wrath
On the nations which have not [ak](FG)listened.”
Yahweh’s Case Against His People
6 [al](FH)Listen now to what Yahweh is saying,
“Arise, plead your case [am]before the mountains,
And let the hills [an](FI)listen to your voice.
2 [ao](FJ)Listen, you mountains, to the case of Yahweh,
And you enduring (FK)foundations of the earth,
Because (FL)Yahweh has a case against His people;
Even with Israel He will reprove.
3 (FM)My people, (FN)what have I done to you,
And (FO)how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
4 Indeed, I (FP)brought you up from the land of Egypt
And (FQ)ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you (FR)Moses, Aaron, and (FS)Miriam.
5 My people, remember now
What (FT)Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
And from (FU)Shittim to (FV)Gilgal,
So [ap]that you might know the (FW)righteous acts of Yahweh.”
What Yahweh Requires
6 (FX)With what shall I come before Yahweh
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come before Him with (FY)burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
7 Is Yahweh pleased with (FZ)thousands of rams,
With ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my (GA)firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has (GB)told you, O man, what is good;
And (GC)what does Yahweh require of you
But to (GD)do justice, to (GE)love lovingkindness,
And to walk [aq](GF)humbly with your God?
9 The voice of Yahweh will call to the city—
And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:
“Hear, O tribe. Who even has appointed [ar]its time?
10 Is there yet a man in the wicked house,
Along with treasures of (GG)wickedness,
And a [as](GH)short measure which is cursed?
11 Can I purify wicked (GI)scales
And a bag of deceptive weights?
12 For the rich men of [at]the city are full of (GJ)violence,
And her inhabitants speak (GK)lies,
And their (GL)tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 So also I will make you (GM)sick, striking you down,
(GN)Desolating you because of your sins.
14 You will eat, but you will (GO)not be satisfied,
And your [au]vileness will be in your midst.
And you will try to remove something for safekeeping,
But you will (GP)not cause anything to escape,
And that which you do have escape, I will give to the sword.
15 You will sow but you will (GQ)not reap.
You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;
And the grapes, but you will (GR)not drink wine.
16 The statutes of (GS)Omri
And all the works of the house of (GT)Ahab are kept;
And in their counsels you (GU)walk.
Therefore I will give you up as (GV)an object of horror
And [av]your inhabitants as an (GW)object of hissing,
And you will bear the (GX)reproach of My people.”
There Is No Upright Person
7 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the (GY)grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a (GZ)first-ripe fig which my soul desires.
2 The [aw]holy one has (HA)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for (HB)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (HC)net.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it (HD)well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a (HE)payment,
And a great man speaks the craving of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a (HF)briar,
The most upright like a (HG)thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your (HH)punishment will come.
[ax]At that time their (HI)panic will happen.
5 Do not (HJ)believe in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a close companion.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard the openings of your mouth.
6 For (HK)son treats father as a wicked fool;
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(HL)A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
Yahweh Is a Light for Me
7 But as for me, I will (HM)watch expectantly for Yahweh;
I will (HN)wait for the God of my salvation.
My (HO)God will hear me.
8 (HP)Do not be glad over me, O (HQ)my enemy.
Though I fall I will (HR)rise;
Though I inhabit the darkness, Yahweh is a (HS)light for me.
9 I will bear the rage of Yahweh
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He (HT)pleads my case and does justice for me.
He will bring me out to the (HU)light,
And I will see His [ay](HV)righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who (HW)said to me,
“Where is Yahweh your God?”
My eyes will look on her;
[az]At that time she will [ba]be (HX)trampled down
Like mire of the streets.
11 It will be a day for (HY)building your walls.
On that day your boundary will be extended.
12 It will be a day when [bb]they will (HZ)come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the [bc]River,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become (IA)desolate because of her inhabitants,
On account of the (IB)fruit of their deeds.
14 (IC)Shepherd Your people with Your (ID)scepter,
The flock of Your inheritance
Which dwells by itself in the forest,
In the midst of [bd]a fruitful orchard.
Let them feed in (IE)Bashan and Gilead
(IF)As in the ancient days.
15 “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [be](IG)you wondrous deeds.”
16 Nations (IH)will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will (II)put their hand on their mouth;
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will (IJ)lick the dust like a serpent,
Like (IK)crawling things of the earth.
They will come (IL)trembling out of their [bf]fortresses;
To Yahweh our God they will come in (IM)dread,
And they will be afraid before You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (IN)forgives iniquity
And passes over the transgression of the (IO)remnant of His inheritance?
He does not (IP)hold fast to His anger forever
Because He (IQ)delights in lovingkindness.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
(IR)He will subdue our iniquities.
And You will (IS)cast all [bg]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [bh](IT)truth to Jacob
And lovingkindness to Abraham,
Which You (IU)swore to our fathers
From the days of old.
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