Micah 3

Contemporary English Version

Evil Rulers and Lying Prophets

3 Listen to me,
    you rulers of Israel!
You know right from wrong,
²but you prefer to do evil
    instead of what is right.
You skin my people alive.
You strip off their flesh,
³    break their bones,
    cook it all in a pot,
    and gulp it down.

⁴Someday you will beg the Lord
to help you,
but he will turn away
because of your sins.

⁵You lying prophets promise
security for anyone
    who gives you food,
but disaster for anyone
    who refuses to feed you.
Here is what the Lord says
    to you prophets:
⁶“You will live in the dark,
far from the sight of the sun,
    with no message from me.
⁷You prophets and fortunetellers
will all be disgraced,
    with no message from me.”

⁸But the Lord has filled me
    with power and his Spirit.
I have been given the courage
    to speak about justice
and to tell you people of Israel
    that you have sinned.
⁹So listen to my message,
    you rulers of Israel!
You hate justice
    and twist the truth.
¹⁰You make cruelty and murder
    a way of life in Jerusalem.
¹¹You leaders accept bribes
    for dishonest decisions.
You priests and prophets
teach and preach,
    but only for money.

Then you say,
“The Lord is on our side.
    No harm will come to us.”
¹²^(A) And so, because of you,
Jerusalem will be plowed under
    and left in ruins.
Thorns will cover the mountain
    where the temple now stands.