1The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moreshetha during the reigns of Jotham,b Ahazc and Hezekiah,d kings of Judahe—the visionf he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2Hear,g you peoples, all of you,h
listen, earthi and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign LORD may bear witnessj against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.k
Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem
3Look! The LORD is coming from his dwellingl place;
he comes downm and treads on the heights of the earth.n
4The mountains melto beneath himp
and the valleys split apart,q
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?r
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6“Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.s
I will pour her stonest into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.u
7All her idolsv will be broken to pieces;w
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.x
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,y
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
Weeping and Mourning
8Because of this I will weepz and wail;
I will go about barefoota and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9For Samaria’s plagueb is incurable;c
it has spread to Judah.d
It has reached the very gatee of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.
weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah2
roll in the dust.
11Pass by nakedf and in shame,
you who live in Shaphir.3
Those who live in Zaanan4
will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
it no longer protects you.
12Those who live in Maroth5 writhe in pain,
waiting for relief,g
because disasterh has come from the LORD,
even to the gate of Jerusalem.
harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zionj began,
for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14Therefore you will give parting giftsk
to Moreshethl Gath.
The town of Akzib6,m will prove deceptiven
to the kings of Israel.
15I will bring a conqueror against you
The nobles of Israel
will flee to Adullam.p
16Shaveq your head in mourning
for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
for they will go from you into exile.r
Human Plans and God’s Plans
1Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evila on their beds!b
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2They covet fieldsc and seize them,d
and houses, and take them.
They defraude people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.f
3Therefore, the LORD says:
“I am planning disasterg against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,h
for it will be a time of calamity.
4In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;i
my people’s possession is divided up.j
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’ ”
5Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD
False Prophets
6“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
“Do not prophesy about these things;
disgracem will not overtake us.n”
7You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
“Does the LORD become1 impatient?
Does he do such things?”
“Do not my words do goodo
to the one whose ways are upright?p
8Lately 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.
9You drive the women of my people
from their pleasant homes.q
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10Get up, go away!
For this is not your resting place,r
because it is defiled,s
it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11If a liar and deceivert comes and says,
‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’u
that would be just the prophet for this people!v
Deliverance Promised
12“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnantw of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.x
13The One who breaks open the way will go up beforey them;
they will break through the gatez and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the LORD at their head.”
Leaders and Prophets Rebuked
1Then I said,
“Listen, you leadersa of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
and the flesh from their bones;b
3who eat my people’s flesh,c
strip off their skin
and break their bones in pieces;d
who chope them up like meat for the pan,
like flesh for the pot?f”
4Then they will cry out to the LORD,
but he will not answer them.g
At that time he will hide his faceh from them
because of the evil they have done.i
5This is what the LORD says:
“As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,j
they proclaim ‘peace’k
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.
6Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination.l
The sun will set for the prophets,m
and the day will go dark for them.n
and the diviners disgraced.p
They will all coverq their facesr
because there is no answer from God.s”
8But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the LORD,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin.t
9Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right;u
10who buildv Zion with bloodshed,w
and Jerusalem with wickedness.x
11Her leaders judge for a bribe,y
her priests teach for a price,z
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.a
Yet they lookb for the LORD’s support and say,
“Is not the LORD among us?
No disaster will come upon us.”c
12Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,d
The Mountain of the LORD
4:1-3pp — Isa 2:1-4
1In the last days
the mountaina of the LORD’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,b
and peoples will stream to it.c
2Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,d
to the temple of the God of Jacob.e
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The lawh will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.i
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.j
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for wark anymore.l
4Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,m
and no one will make them afraid,n
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.o
5All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,p
but we will walk in the name of the LORD
our God for ever and ever.q
The LORD’s Plan
6“In that day,” declares the LORD,
“I will gather the lame;r
I will assemble the exiless
and those I have brought to grief.t
7I will make the lame my remnant,u
those driven away a strong nation.v
The LORD will rule over them in Mount Zionw
from that day and forever.x
8As for you, watchtower of the flock,
stronghold1 of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restoredy to you;
kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.z”
9Why do you now cry aloud—
Has your ruler3 perished,
that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?b
10Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;c
there you will be rescued.
There the LORD will redeemd you
out of the hand of your enemies.
11But now many nations
are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
let our eyes gloate over Zion!”
12But they do not know
the thoughts of the LORD;
they do not understand his plan,f
that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13“Rise and thresh,g Daughter Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
and you will break to pieces many nations.”h
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the LORD,i
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
1Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheeka with a rod. Map: Nations and Cities in Micah
2“But you, Bethlehemb Ephrathah,c
though you are small among the clans2 of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be rulerd over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,e
from ancient times.”f
3Therefore Israel will be abandonedg
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4He will stand and shepherd his flockh
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatnessi
will reach to the ends of the earth.
when the Assyrians invadek our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,l
6who will rule3 the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrodm with drawn sword.4,n
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.o
7The remnantp of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dewq from the LORD,
like showers on the grass,r
which do not wait for anyone
or depend on man.
8The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,s
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and manglest as it goes,
and no one can rescue.u
9Your hand will be lifted upv in triumph over your enemies,
and all your foes will be destroyed.
10“In that day,” declares the LORD,
“I will destroy your horses from among you
and demolish your chariots.w
11I will destroy the citiesx of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.y
12I will destroy your witchcraft
and you will no longer cast spells.z
and your sacred stones from among you;b
you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.c
14I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles5,d
when I demolish your cities.
15I will take vengeancee in anger and wrath
on the nations that have not obeyed me.”
The LORD’s Case Against Israel
1Listen to what the LORD says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;a
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2“Hear,b you mountains, the LORD’s accusation;c
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a cased against his people;
he is lodging a chargee against Israel.
3“My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdenedf you?g Answer me.
4I brought you up out of Egypth
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.i
I sent Mosesj to lead you,
5My people, remember
what Balakm king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittimn to Gilgal,o
that you may know the righteous actsp of the LORD.”
6With what shall I come beforeq the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?r
7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,s
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?t
Shall I offer my firstbornu for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?v
8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justlyw and to love mercy
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
9Listen! The LORD is calling to the city—
and to fear your name is wisdom—
“Heed the rodz and the One who appointed it.2
10Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah,3 which is accursed?a
11Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,b
with a bag of false weights?c
12Your rich people are violent;d
your inhabitants are liarse
and their tongues speak deceitfully.f
13Therefore, I have begun to destroyg you,
to ruin4 you because of your sins.
14You will eat but not be satisfied;h
your stomach will still be empty.5
You will store up but save nothing,i
because what you save6 I will give to the sword.
15You will plant but not harvest;j
you will press olives but not use the oil,
you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.k
16You have observed the statutes of Omril
and all the practices of Ahab’sm house;
you have followed their traditions.n
Therefore I will give you over to ruino
and your people to derision;
Israel’s Misery
1What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
none of the early figsa that I crave.
2The faithful have been swept from the land;b
not onec upright person remains.
Everyone lies in waitd to shed blood;e
they hunt each otherf with nets.g
3Both hands are skilled in doing evil;h
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,i
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together.
4The best of them is like a brier,j
the most upright worse than a thornk hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.l
5Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.m
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
6For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,n
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.o
7But as for me, I watchp in hopeq for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hearr me.
Israel Will Rise
8Do not gloat over me,s my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.t
Though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light.u
9Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the LORD’s wrath,v
until he pleads my casew
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;x
I will see his righteousness.y
10Then my enemy will see it
and will be covered with shame,z
she who said to me,
“Where is the LORD your God?”a
My eyes will see her downfall;b
even now she will be trampledc underfoot
like mire in the streets.
11The day for building your wallsd will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.
12In that day people will come to you
from Assyriae and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.f
13The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.g
Prayer and Praise
14Shepherdh your people with your staff,i
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
Let them feed in Bashank and Gileadl
as in days long ago.m
15“As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.n”
16Nations will see and be ashamed,o
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouthsp
and their ears will become deaf.
17They will lick dustq like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come tremblingr out of their dens;
they will turn in fears to the LORD our God
and will be afraid of you.
who pardons sinu and forgivesv the transgression
of the remnantw of his inheritance?x
You do not stay angryy forever
but delight to show mercy.z
19You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquitiesa into the depths of the sea.b
20You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,c
as you pledged on oath to our ancestorsd
in days long ago.e