MICAH

MICAH somebody

New Living Translation

NLT | MICAH 1

NLT | MICAH 1 somebody

1
1The Lord gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The visions he saw concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem.
Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem
2Attention! Let all the people of the world listen!
Let the earth and everything in it hear.
The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you;
the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.
3Look! The Lord is coming!
He leaves his throne in heaven
and tramples the heights of the earth.
4The mountains melt beneath his feet
and flow into the valleys
like wax in a fire,
like water pouring down a hill.
5And why is this happening?
Because of the rebellion of Israel#1:5 Hebrew Jacob; also in 1:5b. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.—
yes, the sins of the whole nation.
Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion?
Samaria, its capital city!
Where is the center of idolatry in Judah?
In Jerusalem, its capital!
6“So I, the Lord, will make the city of Samaria
a heap of ruins.
Her streets will be plowed up
for planting vineyards.
I will roll the stones of her walls into the valley below,
exposing her foundations.
7All her carved images will be smashed.
All her sacred treasures will be burned.
These things were bought with the money
earned by her prostitution,
and they will now be carried away
to pay prostitutes elsewhere.”
8Therefore, I will mourn and lament.
I will walk around barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9For my people’s wound
is too deep to heal.
It has reached into Judah,
even to the gates of Jerusalem.
10Don’t tell our enemies in Gath#1:10a Gath sounds like the Hebrew term for “tell.”;
don’t weep at all.
You people in Beth-leaphrah,#1:10b Beth-leaphrah means “house of dust.”
roll in the dust to show your despair.
11You people in Shaphir,#1:11a Shaphir means “pleasant.”
go as captives into exile—naked and ashamed.
The people of Zaanan#1:11b Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew term for “come out.”
dare not come outside their walls.
The people of Beth-ezel#1:11c Beth-ezel means “adjoining house.” mourn,
for their house has no support.
12The people of Maroth#1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew term for “bitter.” anxiously wait for relief,
but only bitterness awaits them
as the Lord’s judgment reaches
even to the gates of Jerusalem.
13Harness your chariot horses and flee,
you people of Lachish.#1:13a Lachish sounds like the Hebrew term for “team of horses.”
You were the first city in Judah
to follow Israel in her rebellion,
and you led Jerusalem#1:13b Hebrew the daughter of Zion. into sin.
14Send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath#1:14a Moresheth sounds like the Hebrew term for “gift” or “dowry.”;
there is no hope of saving it.
The town of Aczib#1:14b Aczib means “deception.”
has deceived the kings of Israel.
15O people of Mareshah,#1:15a Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew term for “conqueror.”
I will bring a conqueror to capture your town.
And the leaders#1:15b Hebrew the glory. of Israel
will go to Adullam.
16Oh, people of Judah, shave your heads in sorrow,
for the children you love will be snatched away.
Make yourselves as bald as a vulture,
for your little ones will be exiled to distant lands.

New Living Translation

NLT | MICAH 2

NLT | MICAH 2 somebody

2
Judgment against Wealthy Oppressors
1What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night,
thinking up evil plans.
You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out,
simply because you have the power to do so.
2When you want a piece of land,
you find a way to seize it.
When you want someone’s house,
you take it by fraud and violence.
You cheat a man of his property,
stealing his family’s inheritance.
3But this is what the Lord says:
“I will reward your evil with evil;
you won’t be able to pull your neck out of the noose.
You will no longer walk around proudly,
for it will be a terrible time.”
4In that day your enemies will make fun of you
by singing this song of despair about you:
“We are finished,
completely ruined!
God has confiscated our land,
taking it from us.
He has given our fields
to those who betrayed us.#2:4 Or to those who took us captive.”
5Others will set your boundaries then,
and the Lord’s people will have no say
in how the land is divided.
True and False Prophets
6“Don’t say such things,”
the people respond.#2:6 Or the prophets respond; Hebrew reads they prophesy.
“Don’t prophesy like that.
Such disasters will never come our way!”
7Should you talk that way, O family of Israel?#2:7 Hebrew O house of Jacob? See note on 1:5a.
Will the Lord’s Spirit have patience with such behavior?
If you would do what is right,
you would find my words comforting.
8Yet 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.
9You have evicted women from their pleasant homes
and forever stripped their children of all that God would give them.
10Up! Begone!
This is no longer your land and home,
for you have filled it with sin
and ruined it completely.
11Suppose 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!
Hope for Restoration
12“Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again
be filled with noisy crowds!
13Your leader will break out
and lead you out of exile,
out through the gates of the enemy cities,
back to your own land.
Your king will lead you;
the Lord himself will guide you.”

New Living Translation

NLT | MICAH 3

NLT | MICAH 3 somebody

3
Judgment against Israel’s Leaders
1I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel!
You are supposed to know right from wrong,
2but you are the very ones
who hate good and love evil.
You skin my people alive
and tear the flesh from their bones.
3Yes, you eat my people’s flesh,
strip off their skin,
and break their bones.
You chop them up
like meat for the cooking pot.
4Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble!
Do you really expect him to answer?
After all the evil you have done,
he won’t even look at you!”
5This is what the Lord says:
“You false prophets are leading my people astray!
You promise peace for those who give you food,
but you declare war on those who refuse to feed you.
6Now the night will close around you,
cutting off all your visions.
Darkness will cover you,
putting an end to your predictions.
The sun will set for you prophets,
and your day will come to an end.
7Then you seers will be put to shame,
and you fortune-tellers will be disgraced.
And you will cover your faces
because there is no answer from God.”
8But as for me, I am filled with power—
with the Spirit of the Lord.
I am filled with justice and strength
to boldly declare Israel’s sin and rebellion.
9Listen to me, you leaders of Israel!
You hate justice and twist all that is right.
10You are building Jerusalem
on a foundation of murder and corruption.
11You rulers make decisions based on bribes;
you priests teach God’s laws only for a price;
you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid.
Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord.
“No harm can come to us,” you say,
“for the Lord is here among us.”
12Because of you, Mount Zion will be plowed like an open field;
Jerusalem will be reduced to ruins!
A thicket will grow on the heights
where the Temple now stands.

New Living Translation

NLT | MICAH 4

NLT | MICAH 4 somebody

4
The Lord’s Future Reign
1In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
2People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
3The Lord will mediate between peoples
and will settle disputes between strong nations far away.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
4Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
has made this promise!
5Though the nations around us follow their idols,
we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.
Israel’s Return from Exile
6“In that coming day,” says the Lord,
“I will gather together those who are lame,
those who have been exiles,
and those whom I have filled with grief.
7Those who are weak will survive as a remnant;
those who were exiles will become a strong nation.
Then I, the Lord, will rule from Jerusalem#4:7 Hebrew Mount Zion.
as their king forever.”
8As for you, Jerusalem,
the citadel of God’s people,#4:8 Hebrew As for you, Migdal-eder, / the Ophel of the daughter of Zion.
your royal might and power
will come back to you again.
The kingship will be restored
to my precious Jerusalem.
9But why are you now screaming in terror?
Have you no king to lead you?
Have your wise people all died?
Pain has gripped you like a woman in childbirth.
10Writhe and groan like a woman in labor,
you people of Jerusalem,#4:10 Hebrew O daughter of Zion.
for now you must leave this city
to live in the open country.
You will soon be sent in exile
to distant Babylon.
But the Lord will rescue you there;
he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies.
11Now many nations have gathered against you.
“Let her be desecrated,” they say.
“Let us see the destruction of Jerusalem.#4:11 Hebrew of Zion.”
12But they do not know the Lord’s thoughts
or understand his plan.
These nations don’t know
that he is gathering them together
to be beaten and trampled
like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor.
13“Rise up and crush the nations, O Jerusalem!”#4:13 Hebrew “Rise up and thresh, O daughter of Zion.”
says the Lord.
“For I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves,
so you can trample many nations to pieces.
You will present their stolen riches to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.”

New Living Translation

NLT | MICAH 5

NLT | MICAH 5 somebody

5
1 # 5:1 Verse 5:1 is numbered 4:14 in Hebrew text. Mobilize! Marshal your troops!
The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem.
They will strike Israel’s leader
in the face with a rod.
A Ruler from Bethlehem
2 # 5:2 Verses 5:2-15 are numbered 5:1-14 in Hebrew text. But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.
3The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then at last his fellow countrymen
will return from exile to their own land.
4And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.
5And he will be the source of peace.
When the Assyrians invade our land
and break through our defenses,
we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us,
eight princes to lead us.
6They will rule Assyria with drawn swords
and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod.
He will rescue us from the Assyrians
when they pour over the borders to invade our land.
The Remnant Purified
7Then the remnant left in Israel#5:7 Hebrew in Jacob; also in 5:8. See note on 1:5a.
will take their place among the nations.
They will be like dew sent by the Lord
or like rain falling on the grass,
which no one can hold back
and no one can restrain.
8The remnant left in Israel
will take their place among the nations.
They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a strong young lion among flocks of sheep and goats,
pouncing and tearing as they go
with no rescuer in sight.
9The people of Israel will stand up to their foes,
and all their enemies will be wiped out.
10“In that day,” says the Lord,
“I will slaughter your horses
and destroy your chariots.
11I will tear down your walls
and demolish your defenses.
12I will put an end to all witchcraft,
and there will be no more fortune-tellers.
13I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars,
so you will never again worship the work of your own hands.
14I will abolish your idol shrines with their Asherah poles
and destroy your pagan cities.
15I will pour out my vengeance
on all the nations that refuse to obey me.”

New Living Translation

NLT | MICAH 6

NLT | MICAH 6 somebody

6
The Lord’s Case against Israel
1Listen to what the Lord is saying:
“Stand up and state your case against me.
Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.
2And now, O mountains,
listen to the Lord’s complaint!
He has a case against his people.
He will bring charges against Israel.
3“O my people, what have I done to you?
What have I done to make you tired of me?
Answer me!
4For I brought you out of Egypt
and redeemed you from slavery.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
5Don’t you remember, my people,
how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed
and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead?
And remember your journey from Acacia Grove#6:5 Hebrew Shittim. to Gilgal,
when I, the Lord, did everything I could
to teach you about my faithfulness.”
6What can we bring to the Lord?
Should we bring him burnt offerings?
Should we bow before God Most High
with offerings of yearling calves?
7Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
8No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
9Fear the Lord if you are wise!
His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem:
“The armies of destruction are coming;
the Lord is sending them.#6:9 Hebrew “Listen to the rod. / Who appointed it?”
10What shall I say about the homes of the wicked
filled with treasures gained by cheating?
What about the disgusting practice
of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?#6:10 Hebrew of using the short ephah? The ephah was a unit for measuring grain.
11How can I tolerate your merchants
who use dishonest scales and weights?
12The rich among you have become wealthy
through extortion and violence.
Your citizens are so used to lying
that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.
13“Therefore, I will wound you!
I will bring you to ruin for all your sins.
14You will eat but never have enough.
Your hunger pangs and emptiness will remain.
And though you try to save your money,
it will come to nothing in the end.
You will save a little,
but I will give it to those who conquer you.
15You will plant crops
but not harvest them.
You will press your olives
but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves.
You will trample the grapes
but get no juice to make your wine.
16You keep only the laws of evil King Omri;
you follow only the example of wicked King Ahab!
Therefore, I will make an example of you,
bringing you to complete ruin.
You will be treated with contempt,
mocked by all who see you.”

New Living Translation

NLT | MICAH 7

NLT | MICAH 7 somebody

7
Misery Turned to Hope
1How miserable I am!
I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest
who can find nothing to eat.
Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig
can be found to satisfy my hunger.
2The godly people have all disappeared;
not one honest person is left on the earth.
They are all murderers,
setting traps even for their own brothers.
3Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil!
Officials and judges alike demand bribes.
The people with influence get what they want,
and together they scheme to twist justice.
4Even the best of them is like a brier;
the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns.
But your judgment day is coming swiftly now.
Your time of punishment is here, a time of confusion.
5Don’t trust anyone—
not your best friend or even your wife!
6For the son despises his father.
The daughter defies her mother.
The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law.
Your enemies are right in your own household!
7As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.
8Do not gloat over me, my enemies!
For though I fall, I will rise again.
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.
9I will be patient as the Lord punishes me,
for I have sinned against him.
But after that, he will take up my case
and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies.
The Lord will bring me into the light,
and I will see his righteousness.
10Then my enemies will see that the Lord is on my side.
They will be ashamed that they taunted me, saying,
“So where is the Lord—
that God of yours?”
With my own eyes I will see their downfall;
they will be trampled like mud in the streets.
11In that day, Israel, your cities will be rebuilt,
and your borders will be extended.
12People from many lands will come and honor you—
from Assyria all the way to the towns of Egypt,
from Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River,#7:12 Hebrew the river.
and from distant seas and mountains.
13But the land#7:13 Or earth. will become empty and desolate
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
The Lord’s Compassion on Israel
14O Lord, protect your people with your shepherd’s staff;
lead your flock, your special possession.
Though they live alone in a thicket
on the heights of Mount Carmel,#7:14 Or surrounded by a fruitful land.
let them graze in the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead
as they did long ago.
15“Yes,” says the Lord,
“I will do mighty miracles for you,
like those I did when I rescued you
from slavery in Egypt.”
16All the nations of the world will stand amazed
at what the Lord will do for you.
They will be embarrassed
at their feeble power.
They will cover their mouths in silent awe,
deaf to everything around them.
17Like snakes crawling from their holes,
they will come out to meet the Lord our God.
They will fear him greatly,
trembling in terror at his presence.
18Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.
19Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
20You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love
as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.

New Living Translation