Micah 5-6

Holman Christian Standard Bible

From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King

5 ^[a]Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge^(A) of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
²^[b]Bethlehem Ephrathah,^(B)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you^(C)
to be ruler over Israel for Me.^(D)
His origin^[c] is from antiquity,^(E)
from eternity.^[d]
³Therefore, He will abandon them^(F) until the time
when she who is in labor^(G) has given birth;
then the rest of His brothers^(H) will return
to the people of Israel.^(I)
⁴He will stand and shepherd them^(J)
in the strength of Yahweh,
in the majestic name of Yahweh His God.
They will live securely,
for then His greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.^(K)
⁵He will be their peace.^(L)
When Assyria invades our land,^(M)
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
⁶They will shepherd^(N) the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod^(O) with a drawn blade.^[e]
So He will rescue us^(P) from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.

The Glorious and Purified Remnant

⁷Then the remnant of Jacob^(Q)
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord,^(R)
like showers on the grass,^(S)
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
⁸Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,^(T)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples^(U) and tears^(V) as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.^(W)
⁹Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,^(X)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.

¹⁰In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will remove your horses from you^(Y)
and wreck your chariots.
¹¹I will remove the cities of your land^(Z)
and tear down all your fortresses.^(AA)
¹²I will remove sorceries from your hands,^(AB)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
¹³I will remove your carved images^(AC)
and sacred pillars from you
so that you will not bow down again
to the work of your hands.
¹⁴I will pull up the Asherah poles^(AD) from among you^(AE)
and demolish your cities.^[f]
¹⁵I will take vengeance in anger and wrath^(AF)
against the nations that have not obeyed Me.

God’s Lawsuit against Judah

6 Now listen to what the Lord is saying:

Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
²Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit,^(AG)
you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth,^(AH)
because the Lord has a case against His people,^(AI)
and He will argue it against Israel.
³My people,^(AJ) what have I done to you,^(AK)
or how have I wearied you?^(AL)
Testify against Me!
⁴Indeed, I brought you up^(AM) from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you^(AN) from that place of slavery.^(AO)
I sent Moses,^(AP) Aaron, and Miriam^(AQ) ahead of you.
⁵My people,
remember what Balak king of Moab^(AR) proposed,
what Balaam son of Beor answered him,^(AS)
and what happened from the Acacia Grove^[g]^(AT) to Gilgal^(AU)
so that you may acknowledge
the Lord’s righteous acts.^(AV)

⁶What should I bring before the Lord^(AW)
when I come to bow before God on high?
Should I come before Him with burnt offerings,^(AX)
with year-old calves?
⁷Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams^(AY)
or with ten thousand streams of oil?
Should I give my firstborn for my transgression,^(AZ)
the child of my body for my own sin?

⁸Mankind, He has told you what is good^(BA)
and what it is the Lord requires of you:^(BB)
to act justly,^(BC)
to love faithfulness,^(BD)
and to walk humbly with your God.^(BE)

Verdict of Judgment

⁹The voice of Yahweh calls out to the city^[h]
(and it is wise to fear Your name):
“Pay attention to the rod
and the One who ordained it.^[i]
¹⁰Are there still^[j] the treasures of wickedness^(BF)
and the accursed short measure^(BG)
in the house of the wicked?
¹¹Can I excuse wicked scales
or bags of deceptive weights?^(BH)
¹²For the wealthy of the city are full of violence,^(BI)
and its residents speak lies;^(BJ)
the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.^(BK)

¹³“As a result, I have begun to strike you severely,^[k]^(BL)
bringing desolation because of your sins.^(BM)
¹⁴You will eat but not be satisfied,^(BN)
for there will be hunger within you.
What you acquire, you cannot save,^(BO)
and what you do save,
I will give to the sword.^[l]
¹⁵You will sow but not reap;^(BP)
you will press olives
but not anoint yourself with oil;
and you will tread grapes
but not drink the wine.^(BQ)
¹⁶The statutes of Omri
and all the practices of Ahab’s house
have been observed;
you have followed their policies.^(BR)
Therefore, I will make you a desolate place^(BS)
and the city’s^[m] residents an object of contempt;^[n]^(BT)
you will bear the scorn of My people.”^[o]^(BU)

Footnotes

Micah 5:1 Mc 4:14 in Hb
Micah 5:2 Mc 5:1 in Hb
Micah 5:2 Lit His going out
Micah 5:2 Or from ancient times
Micah 5:6 Aq, Vg; MT, Sym read Nimrod at its gateways
Micah 5:14 Or shrines
Micah 6:5 Or Shittim
Micah 6:9 = Jerusalem
Micah 6:9 Or attention, you tribe. Who has ordained it?; Hb obscure
Micah 6:10 Hb obscure
Micah 6:13 LXX, Aq, Theod, Syr, Vg; MT reads I have made [you] sick by striking you down
Micah 6:14 Hb obscure
Micah 6:16 Lit and its
Micah 6:16 Lit residents a hissing
Micah 6:16 LXX reads of the peoples