| 1:1 |
The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Mo′reshethMoresheth in the days of Kings Jotham Ahaz and Hezeki′ahHezekiah kings of Judah which he saw concerning Samar′iaSamaria and Jerusalem |
| 1:2 |
Hear you peoples all of you; hearkenlisten O earth and all that is in it; and let the Lord God be a witness against you the Lord from his holy temple |
| 1:3 |
For beholdlo the Lord is coming forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth |
| 1:4 |
AndThen the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will beburst cleftopen like wax beforenear the fire like waters poured down a steep place |
| 1:5 |
All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel What is the transgression of Jacob Is it not Samar′iaSamaria And what is the sinhigh ofplace the house of Judah Is it not Jerusalem |
| 1:6 |
Therefore I will make Samar′iaSamaria a heap in the open country a place for planting vineyards; and I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundations |
| 1:7 |
All her images shall be beaten to pieces all her hireswages shall be burned with fire and all her idols I will lay waste; for fromas the hirewages of a harlotprostitute she gathered them and toas the hirewages of a harlotprostitute they shall returnagain be used |
| 1:8 |
For this I will lament and wail; I will go strippedbarefoot and naked; I will make lamentation like the jackals and mourning like the ostriches |
| 1:9 |
For her wound is incurable; andIt it has come to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my people to Jerusalem |
| 1:10 |
Tell it not in Gath weep not at all; in Beth leleaphrah aph′rah roll yourselves in the dust |
| 1:11 |
Pass on your way inhabitants of Shaphir in nakedness and shame; the inhabitants of Za′ananZaanan do not come forth; theBeth wailingezel ofis Bethwailing e′zeland shall takeremove awayits support from you its standing place |
| 1:12 |
For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good becauseyet evildisaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem |
| 1:13 |
Harness the steeds to the chariots inhabitants of Lachish; youit werewas the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion for in you were found the transgressions of Israel |
| 1:14 |
Therefore you shall give parting gifts to Mo′reshethMoresheth gath; the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitfuldeception thing to the kings of Israel |
| 1:15 |
I will again bring a conqueror upon you inhabitants of Mare′shahMareshah; the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam |
| 1:16 |
Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair for theyour pampered children of your delight; make yourselves as bald as the eagle for they shallhave gogone from you into exile |
| 2:1 |
WoeAlas tofor those who devise wickedness and work evil upondeeds on their beds When the morning dawns they perform it because it is in thetheir power of their hand |
| 2:2 |
They covet fields and seize them; and houses and take them away; they oppress ahouseholder man and his house apeople man and histheir inheritance |
| 2:3 |
Therefore thus says the Lord: BeholdNow I am devising against this family Ian am devising evil from which you cannot remove your necks; and you shall not walk haughtily for it will be an evil time |
| 2:4 |
InOn that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and wail with bitter lamentation and say We are utterly ruined; hethe changesLord alters the portioninheritance of my people; how he removes it from me Among our captors he dividesparcels out our fields |
| 2:5 |
Therefore you will have noneno one to cast the line by lot in the assembly of the Lord |
| 2:7 |
Should this be said O house of Jacob Is the SpiritLords ofpatience theexhausted Lord impatient Are these his doings Do not my words do good to himone who walks uprightly |
| 2:8 |
But you rise up against my people as an enemy; you strip the robe from the peaceful from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war |
| 2:9 |
The women of my people you drive out from their pleasant houses; from their young children you take away my glory for everforever |
| 2:10 |
Arise and go; for this is no place to rest; because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction |
| 2:11 |
If asomeone manwere shouldto go about anduttering utterempty windfalsehoods and lies saying I will preach to you of wine and strong drink hesuch a one would be the preacher for this people |
| 2:12 |
I will surely gather all of you O Jacob I will gather the remnantsurvivors of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold like a flock in its pasture; ait noisywill multituderesound ofwith menpeople |
| 2:13 |
HeThe one who opensbreaks theout breach will go up before them; they will break through and pass the gate going out by it Their king will pass on before them the Lord at their head |
| 3:1 |
And I said: HearListen you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel IsShould ityou not for you to know justice— |
| 3:2 |
you who hate the good and love the evil who tear the skin from off my people and theirthe flesh from off their bones; |
| 3:3 |
who eat the flesh of my people and flay their skin from off them and break their bones in pieces and chop them up like meat in a kettle like flesh in a caldron |
| 3:4 |
Then they will cry to the Lord but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time because they have madeacted their deeds evilwickedly |
| 3:5 |
Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray who cry Peace when they have something to eat but declare war against himthose who putsput nothing into their mouths |
| 3:6 |
Therefore it shall be night to you without vision and darkness to you without divinationrevelation The sun shall go down upon the prophets and the day shall be black over them; |
| 3:8 |
But as for me I am filled with power with the Spiritspirit of the Lord and with justice and might to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin |
| 3:9 |
Hear this you headsrulers of the house of Jacob and rulerschiefs of the house of Israel who abhor justice and pervert all equity |
| 3:11 |
Its headsrulers give judgment for a bribe its priests teach for hirea price its prophets divinegive oracles for money; yet they lean upon the Lord and say IsSurely not the Lord inis thewith midst of us No evilharm shall come upon us |
| 4:1 |
ItIn shalldays come to passcome in the latter days that the mountain of the Lords house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised up above the hills; andPeoples peoples shall flowstream to it |
| 4:2 |
and many nations shall come and say: Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths For out of Zion shall go forth theinstruction law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem |
| 4:3 |
He shall judge between many peoples and shall decidearbitrate forbetween strong nations afarfar offaway; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more; |
| 4:4 |
but they shall all sit everyunder mantheir underown hisvines vine and under histheir own fig treetrees and noneno one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken |
| 4:5 |
For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forforever ever and ever |
| 4:6 |
In that day says the Lord I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away and those whom I have afflicted; |
| 4:7 |
andThe the lame I will make the remnant; and those who were cast off a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion fromnow this time forth and for evermoreforevermore |
| 4:8 |
And you O tower of the flock hill of the daughter of Zion to you it shall it come the former dominion shall come the kingdomsovereignty of the daughter of Jerusalem |
| 4:9 |
Now why do you cry aloud Is there no king in you Has your counselor perished that pangs have seized you like a woman in travaillabor |
| 4:10 |
Writhe and groan O daughter of Zion like a woman in travaillabor; for now you shall go forth from the city and dwellcamp in the open country; you shall go to Babylon There you shall be rescued there the Lord will redeem you from the handhands of your enemies |
| 4:12 |
But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor |
| 4:13 |
Arise and thresh O daughter of Zion for I will make your horn iron and your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples and shall devote their gain to the Lord their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth |
| 5:1 |
Now you are walled aboutaround with a wall; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike upon the cheek the ruler of Israel upon the cheek |
| 5:2 |
But you O Bethlehem Eph′rathahof Ephrathah who are littleone toof bethe amonglittle the clans of Judah from you shall come forth for me one who is to berule ruler in Israel whose origin is from of old from ancient days |
| 5:3 |
Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travaillabor has brought forth; then the rest of his brethrenkindred shall return to the people of Israel |
| 5:4 |
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God And they shall dwelllive secure for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; |
| 5:5 |
Andand thishe shall be the one of peace whenIf the AssyrianAssyrians comescome into our land and treadstread upon our soil that we will raise against himthem seven shepherds and eight princesinstalled ofas men;rulers |
| 5:6 |
theyThey shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; and they shall deliverrescue us from the AssyrianAssyrians whenif hethey comescome into our land andor treadstread within our border |
| 5:7 |
Then the remnant of Jacob shallsurrounded beby inmany thepeoples midstshall ofbe many peoples like dew from the Lord like showers uponon the grass which tarrydo not fordepend menupon norpeople or wait for theany sons of menmortal |
| 5:8 |
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations in the midstremnant of Jacob surrounded by many peoples shall be like a lion among the beastsanimals of the forest like a young lion among the flocks of sheep which when it goes through treads down and tears in pieces andwith thereno isone none to deliver |
| 5:10 |
AndIn in that day says the Lord I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots; |
| 5:14 |
and I will rootuproot out your Ashe′rimsacred poles from among you and destroy your citiestowns |
| 5:15 |
And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance uponon the nations that did not obey |
| 6:1 |
Hear what the Lord says: AriseRise plead your case before the mountains and let the hills hear your voice |
| 6:4 |
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondageslavery; and I sent before you Moses Aaron and Miriam |
| 6:5 |
O my people remember now what King Balak king of Moab devised and what Balaam the son of Be′orBeor answered him and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal that you may know the saving acts of the Lord |
| 6:7 |
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams with ten thousands of rivers of oil Shall I give my firstfirstborn born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul |
| 6:8 |
He has showedtold you O manmortal what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God |
| 6:9 |
The voice of the Lord cries to the city— and it is sound wisdom to fear thyyour name: Hear O tribe and assembly of the city |
| 6:10 |
Can I forget the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked and the scant measure that is accursed |
| 6:11 |
ShallCan I acquittolerate the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitfuldishonest weights |
| 6:12 |
Your richwealthy men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies andwith theirtongues tongueof isdeceit deceitful in their mouthmouths |
| 6:13 |
Therefore I have begun to smitestrike you down making you desolate because of your sins |
| 6:14 |
You shall eat but not be satisfied and there shall be hungera ingnawing yourhunger inwardwithin partsyou; you shall put away but not save and what you save I will givehand over to the sword |
| 6:16 |
For you have kept the statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab; and you have walkedfollowed in their counsels; thatTherefore I maywill make you a desolation and your inhabitants aan object of hissing; so you shall bear the scorn of themy peoplespeople |
| 7:1 |
Woe is me For I have become aslike whenone who after the summer fruit has been gathered asafter when the vintage has been gleaned: therefinds is no cluster to eat; there is no first ripe fig for which myI soul desireshunger |
| 7:2 |
The godlyfaithful manhave hasdisappeared perished from the earthland and there is noneno uprightone amongleft menwho is upright; they all lie in wait for blood and eachthey huntshunt hiseach brotherother with a netnets |
| 7:3 |
Their hands are uponskilled what is evil to do it diligentlyevil; the princeofficial and the judge ask for a bribe and the greatpowerful mandictate utterswhat thethey evil desire of his soul; thus they weavepervert it togetherjustice |
| 7:4 |
The best of them is like a brier the most upright of them a thorn hedge The day of their watchmensentinels of their punishment has come; now their confusion is at hand |
| 7:5 |
Put no trust in a neighborfriend have no confidence in a friendloved one; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosomembrace; |
| 7:6 |
for the son treats the father with contempt the daughter rises up against her mother the daughter in law against her mother in law; ayour mans enemies are themembers men of hisyour own househousehold |
| 7:8 |
RejoiceDo not rejoice over me O my enemy; when I fall I shall rise; when I sit in darkness the Lord will be a light to me |
| 7:9 |
I willmust bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him until he pleadstakes my causeside and executes judgment for me He will bring me forthout to the light; I shall beholdsee his deliverancevindication |
| 7:10 |
Then my enemy will see and shame will cover her who said to me Where is the Lord your God My eyes will gloatsee overher herdownfall; now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets |
| 7:14 |
Shepherd thyyour people with thyyour staff the flock ofthat thybelongs inheritanceto whoyou dwellwhich lives alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old |
| 7:15 |
As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt I will show themus marvelous things |
| 7:17 |
they shall lick the dust like a serpentsnake like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholdsfortresses; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God and they shall stand in fear because of theeyou |
| 7:18 |
Who is a God like theeyou pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression forof the remnant of hisyour inheritancepossession He does not retain his anger forforever ever because he delights in steadfastshowing loveclemency |
| 7:19 |
He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot ThouYou wiltwill cast all our sins into the depths of the sea |
| 7:20 |
ThouYou wiltwill show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfastunswerving loveloyalty to Abraham as thouyou hasthave sworn to our fathersancestors from the days of old |