The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion

In the last days(A)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(B)
will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,(C)
and many nations will come and say,(D)
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(E)
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about His ways(F)
so we may walk in His paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion(G)
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will settle disputes among many peoples(H)
and provide arbitration for strong nations
that are far away.
They will beat their swords into plows,
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.
But each man will sit under his grapevine(I)
and under his fig tree
with no one to frighten him.(J)
For the mouth of the Lord(K) of Hosts
has promised this.
Though all the peoples each walk
in the name of their gods,(L)
we will walk(M) in the name of Yahweh our God
forever and ever.(N)

On that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will assemble the lame
and gather the scattered,(O)
those I have injured.
I will make the lame into a remnant,(P)
those far removed into a strong nation.
Then the Lord will rule over them(Q) in Mount Zion
from this time on and forever.
And you, watchtower for the flock,(R)
fortified hill[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former rule(S) will come to you,
sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.

From Exile to Victory

Now, why are you shouting loudly?(T)
Is there no king with you?
Has your counselor perished(U)
so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and cry out,[b](V) Daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor,
for now you will leave the city(W)
and camp in the open fields.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued;(X)
there the Lord will redeem you(Y)
from the power of your enemies!
11 Many nations have now assembled against you;(Z)
they say, “Let her be defiled,
and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”
12 But they do not know the Lord’s intentions(AA)
or understand His plan,
that He has gathered them
like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 Rise and thresh,(AB) Daughter Zion,
for I will make your horns iron
and your hooves bronze,
so you can crush many peoples.(AC)
Then you[c] will set apart their plunder(AD)
to the Lord for destruction,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King

[d]Now, daughter who is under attack,
you slash yourself in grief;
a siege is set against us!
They are striking the judge(AE) of Israel
on the cheek with a rod.
[e]Bethlehem Ephrathah,(AF)
you are small among the clans of Judah;
One will come from you(AG)
to be ruler over Israel for Me.(AH)
His origin[f] is from antiquity,(AI)
from eternity.[g]
Therefore, He will abandon them(AJ) until the time
when she who is in labor(AK) has given birth;
then the rest of His brothers(AL) will return
to the people of Israel.(AM)
He will stand and shepherd them(AN)
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.(AO)
He will be their peace.(AP)
When Assyria invades our land,(AQ)
when it marches against our fortresses,
we will raise against it seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
They will shepherd(AR) the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(AS) with a drawn blade.[h]
So He will rescue us(AT) from Assyria
when it invades our land,
when it marches against our territory.

The Glorious and Purified Remnant

Then the remnant of Jacob(AU)
will be among many peoples
like dew from the Lord,(AV)
like showers on the grass,(AW)
which do not wait for anyone
or linger for mankind.
Then the remnant of Jacob
will be among the nations, among many peoples,
like a lion among animals of the forest,(AX)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples(AY) and tears(AZ) as it passes through,
and there is no one to rescue them.(BA)
Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,(BB)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.

10 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will remove your horses from you(BC)
and wreck your chariots.
11 I will remove the cities of your land(BD)
and tear down all your fortresses.(BE)
12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,(BF)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
13 I will remove your carved images(BG)
and sacred pillars from you
so that you will not bow down again
to the work of your hands.
14 I will pull up the Asherah poles(BH) from among you(BI)
and demolish your cities.[i]
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath(BJ)
against the nations that have not obeyed Me.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:8 Or flock, Ophel
  2. Micah 4:10 Hb obscure
  3. Micah 4:13 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads I
  4. Micah 5:1 Mc 4:14 in Hb
  5. Micah 5:2 Mc 5:1 in Hb
  6. Micah 5:2 Lit His going out
  7. Micah 5:2 Or from ancient times
  8. Micah 5:6 Aq, Vg; MT, Sym read Nimrod at its gateways
  9. Micah 5:14 Or shrines

The Mountain of the Lord(A)

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)

Many 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.
He 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)
Everyone 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)
All 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

“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)
I 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)
As 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)

Why 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)
10 Writhe 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.

11 But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat(AF) over Zion!”
12 But 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

[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.

“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)

Therefore 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.

He 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.

And 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)
who 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)

The 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.
The 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)
Your 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)
11 I will destroy the cities(BH) of your land
    and tear down all your strongholds.(BI)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
    and you will no longer cast spells.(BJ)
13 I 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)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles[h](BN)
    when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance(BO) in anger and wrath
    on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

Footnotes

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