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Micah 5-6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
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]
3 Therefore, 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)
4 He 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)
5 He 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.
6 They 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
7 Then 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.
8 Then 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)
9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,(X)
and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10 In that day—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
I will remove your horses from you(Y)
and wreck your chariots.
11 I will remove the cities of your land(Z)
and tear down all your fortresses.(AA)
12 I will remove sorceries from your hands,(AB)
and you will not have any more fortune-tellers.
13 I 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.
14 I will pull up the Asherah poles(AD) from among you(AE)
and demolish your cities.[f]
15 I 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.
2 Listen 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.
3 My people,(AJ) what have I done to you,(AK)
or how have I wearied you?(AL)
Testify against Me!
4 Indeed, 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.
5 My 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)
6 What 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?
7 Would 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?
8 Mankind, 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
9 The 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]
10 Are there still[j] the treasures of wickedness(BF)
and the accursed short measure(BG)
in the house of the wicked?
11 Can I excuse wicked scales
or bags of deceptive weights?(BH)
12 For 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)
14 You 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]
15 You 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)
16 The 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
Micah 5-6
New International Version
Micah 5-6
New International Version
A Promised Ruler From Bethlehem
5 [a]Marshal your troops now, city of troops,
for a siege is laid against us.
They will strike Israel’s ruler
on the cheek(A) with a rod.
2 “But you, Bethlehem(B) Ephrathah,(C)
though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler(D) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,(E)
from ancient times.”(F)
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned(G)
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock(H)
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(I)
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace(J)
when the Assyrians invade(K) our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,(L)
6 who will rule[c] the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod(M) with drawn sword.[d](N)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.(O)
7 The remnant(P) of Jacob will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew(Q) from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,(R)
which do not wait for anyone
or depend on man.
8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,(S)
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles(T) as it goes,
and no one can rescue.(U)
9 Your hand will be lifted up(V) 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.(W)
11 I will destroy the cities(X) of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.(Y)
12 I will destroy your witchcraft
and you will no longer cast spells.(Z)
13 I will destroy your idols(AA)
and your sacred stones from among you;(AB)
you will no longer bow down
to the work of your hands.(AC)
14 I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles[e](AD)
when I demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance(AE) in anger and wrath
on the nations that have not obeyed me.”
The Lord’s Case Against Israel
6 Listen to what the Lord says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;(AF)
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 “Hear,(AG) you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;(AH)
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case(AI) against his people;
he is lodging a charge(AJ) against Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened(AK) you?(AL) Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt(AM)
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.(AN)
I sent Moses(AO) to lead you,
also Aaron(AP) and Miriam.(AQ)
5 My people, remember
what Balak(AR) king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim(AS) to Gilgal,(AT)
that you may know the righteous acts(AU) of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before(AV) the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?(AW)
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(AX)
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(AY)
Shall I offer my firstborn(AZ) for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(BA)
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(BB) and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[f](BC) with your God.(BD)
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
9 Listen! The Lord is calling to the city—
and to fear your name is wisdom—
“Heed the rod(BE) and the One who appointed it.[g]
10 Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house,
and the short ephah,[h] which is accursed?(BF)
11 Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales,(BG)
with a bag of false weights?(BH)
12 Your rich people are violent;(BI)
your inhabitants are liars(BJ)
and their tongues speak deceitfully.(BK)
13 Therefore, I have begun to destroy(BL) you,
to ruin[i] you because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied;(BM)
your stomach will still be empty.[j]
You will store up but save nothing,(BN)
because what you save[k] I will give to the sword.
15 You will plant but not harvest;(BO)
you will press olives but not use the oil,
you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.(BP)
16 You have observed the statutes of Omri(BQ)
and all the practices of Ahab’s(BR) house;
you have followed their traditions.(BS)
Therefore I will give you over to ruin(BT)
and your people to derision;
you will bear the scorn(BU) of the nations.[l]”
Footnotes
- 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
- Micah 6:8 Or prudently
- Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
- Micah 6:10 An ephah was a dry measure.
- Micah 6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin
- Micah 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Micah 6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth
- Micah 6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.