Micah 4-5

New International Version

The Mountain of the Lord^(A)

4 In the last days

the mountain^(B) of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,^(C)
and peoples will stream to it.^(D)

²Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,^(E)
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.^(F)
He will teach us^(G) his ways,^(H)
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law^(I) 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.^(J)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.^(K)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war^(L) anymore.^(M)
⁴Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,^(N)
and no one will make them afraid,^(O)
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.^(P)
⁵All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,^(Q)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.^(R)

The Lord’s Plan

⁶“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will gather the lame;^(S)
    I will assemble the exiles^(T)
    and those I have brought to grief.^(U)
⁷I will make the lame my remnant,^(V)
    those driven away a strong nation.^(W)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion^(X)
    from that day and forever.^(Y)
⁸As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold^[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored^(Z) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.^(AA)”

⁹Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king^[b]^(AB)?
Has your ruler^[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?^(AC)
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;^(AD)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem^(AE) 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 gloat^(AF) over Zion!”
¹²But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,^(AG)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
¹³“Rise and thresh,^(AH) 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.”^(AI)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,^(AJ)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem

5 ^[d]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek^(AK) with a rod.

²“But you, Bethlehem^(AL) Ephrathah,^(AM)
    though you are small among the clans^[e] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler^(AN) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,^(AO)
    from ancient times.”^(AP)

³Therefore Israel will be abandoned^(AQ)
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 flock^(AR)
    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 greatness^(AS)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵And he will be our peace^(AT)
    when the Assyrians invade^(AU) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,^(AV)
⁶who will rule^[f] the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod^(AW) with drawn sword.^[g]^(AX)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.^(AY)

⁷The remnant^(AZ) of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew^(BA) from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,^(BB)
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,^(BC)
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles^(BD) as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.^(BE)
⁹Your hand will be lifted up^(BF) 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.^(BG)
¹¹I will destroy the cities^(BH) of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.^(BI)
¹²I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.^(BJ)
¹³I will destroy your idols^(BK)
    and your sacred stones from among you;^(BL)
you will no longer bow down
    to the work of your hands.^(BM)
¹⁴I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles^[h]^(BN)
    when I demolish your cities.
¹⁵I will take vengeance^(BO) in anger and wrath
    on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

Footnotes

Micah 4:8 Or hill
Micah 4:9 Or King
Micah 4:9 Or Ruler
Micah 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:14, and 5:2-15 is numbered 5:1-14.
Micah 5:2 Or rulers
Micah 5:6 Or crush
Micah 5:6 Or Nimrod in its gates
Micah 5:14 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

Revelation 11

New International Version

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod^(A) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ²But exclude the outer court;^(B) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^(C) They will trample on the holy city^(D) for 42 months.^(E) ³And I will appoint my two witnesses,^(F) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^(G) clothed in sackcloth.”^(H) ⁴They are “the two olive trees”^(I) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^[a]^(J) ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^(K) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^(L) ⁶They have power to shut up the heavens^(M) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^(N) and they have power to turn the waters into blood^(O) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^(P) that comes up from the Abyss^(Q) will attack them,^(R) and overpower and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^(S)—which is figuratively called Sodom^(T) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^(U) ⁹For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation^(V) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.^(W) ¹⁰The inhabitants of the earth^(X) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,^(Y) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹But after the three and a half days^(Z) the breath^[b] of life from God entered them,^(AA) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹²Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”^(AB) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,^(AC) while their enemies looked on.

¹³At that very hour there was a severe earthquake^(AD) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory^(AE) to the God of heaven.^(AF)

¹⁴The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.^(AG)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,^(AH) and there were loud voices^(AI) in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,^(AJ)
and he will reign for ever and ever.”^(AK)

¹⁶And the twenty-four elders,^(AL) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces^(AM) and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying:

“We give thanks^(AN) to you, Lord God Almighty,^(AO)
    the One who is and who was,^(AP)
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.^(AQ)
¹⁸The nations were angry,^(AR)
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,^(AS)
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets^(AT)
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small^(AU)—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹Then God’s temple^(AV) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.^(AW) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,^(AX) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.^(AY)