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Micah 5-6
New King James Version

The Messiah Will Be Born at Bethlehem

5 Now gather yourself in troops,
O daughter of troops;
He has laid siege against us;
They will (A)strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

The Coming Messiah

2 “But you, (B)Bethlehem (C)Ephrathah,
Though you are little (D)among the (E)thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be (F)Ruler in Israel,
(G)Whose goings forth are from of old,
From [a]everlasting.”

3 Therefore He shall give them up,
Until the time that (H)she who is in labor has given birth;
Then (I)the remnant of His brethren
Shall return to the children of Israel.
4 And He shall stand and (J)feed[b] His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;
And they shall abide,
For now He (K)shall be great
To the ends of the earth;
5 And this One (L)shall be peace.

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

When the Assyrian comes into our land,
And when he treads in our palaces,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
6 They shall [c]waste with the sword the land of Assyria,
And the land of (M)Nimrod at its entrances;
Thus He shall (N)deliver us from the Assyrian,
When he comes into our land
And when he treads within our borders.

7 Then (O)the remnant of Jacob
Shall be in the midst of many peoples,
(P)Like dew from the Lord,
Like showers on the grass,
That [d]tarry for no man
Nor [e]wait for the sons of men.
8 And the remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the Gentiles,
In the midst of many peoples,
Like a (Q)lion among the beasts of the forest,
Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
Who, if he passes through,
Both treads down and tears in pieces,
And none can deliver.
9 Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries,
And all your enemies shall be [f]cut off.

10 “And it shall be in that day,” says the Lord,
“That I will (R)cut[g] off your (S)horses from your midst
And destroy your (T)chariots.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land
And throw down all your strongholds.
12 I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
And you shall have no (U)soothsayers.
13 (V)Your carved images I will also cut off,
And your sacred pillars from your midst;
You shall (W)no more worship the work of your hands;
14 I will pluck your [h]wooden images from your midst;
Thus I will destroy your cities.
15 And I will (X)execute vengeance in anger and fury
On the nations that have not [i]heard.”

God Pleads with Israel

6 Hear now what the Lord says:

“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 (Y)Hear, O you mountains, (Z)the Lord’s complaint,
And you strong foundations of the earth;
For (AA)the Lord has a complaint against His people,
And He will [j]contend with Israel.

3 “O My people, what (AB)have I done to you?
And how have I (AC)wearied you?
Testify against Me.
4 (AD)For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the house of bondage;
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O My people, remember now
What (AE)Balak king of Moab counseled,
And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
From [k]Acacia Grove to Gilgal,
That you may know (AF)the righteousness of the Lord.”

6 With what shall I come before the Lord,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
7 (AG)Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand (AH)rivers of oil?
(AI)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
[l]The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has (AJ)shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But (AK)to do justly,
To love [m]mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Punishment of Israel’s Injustice

9 The Lord’s voice cries to the city—
Wisdom shall see Your name:

“Hear the rod!
Who has appointed it?
10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness
In the house of the wicked,
And the short measure that is an abomination?
11 Shall I count pure those with (AL)the wicked scales,
And with the bag of deceitful weights?
12 For her rich men are full of (AM)violence,
Her inhabitants have spoken lies,
And (AN)their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

13 “Therefore I will also (AO)make you sick by striking you,
By making you desolate because of your sins.
14 (AP)You shall eat, but not be satisfied;
[n]Hunger shall be in your midst.
You may carry some away,[o] but shall not save them;
And what you do rescue I will give over to the sword.

15 “You shall (AQ)sow, but not reap;
You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.
16 For the statutes of (AR)Omri are (AS)kept;
All the works of Ahab’s house are done;
And you walk in their counsels,
That I may make you a [p]desolation,
And your inhabitants a hissing.
Therefore you shall bear the (AT)reproach of [q]My people.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 5:2 Lit. the days of eternity
  2. Micah 5:4 shepherd
  3. Micah 5:6 devastate
  4. Micah 5:7 wait
  5. Micah 5:7 delay
  6. Micah 5:9 destroyed
  7. Micah 5:10 destroy
  8. Micah 5:14 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities
  9. Micah 5:15 obeyed
  10. Micah 6:2 bring charges against
  11. Micah 6:5 Heb. Shittim, Num. 25:1; Josh. 2:1; 3:1
  12. Micah 6:7 My own child
  13. Micah 6:8 Or lovingkindness
  14. Micah 6:14 Or Emptiness or Humiliation
  15. Micah 6:14 Tg., Vg. You shall take hold
  16. Micah 6:16 Or object of horror
  17. Micah 6:16 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX nations
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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

  1. Micah 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:14, and 5:2-15 is numbered 5:1-14.
  2. Micah 5:2 Or rulers
  3. Micah 5:6 Or crush
  4. Micah 5:6 Or Nimrod in its gates
  5. Micah 5:14 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
  6. Micah 6:8 Or prudently
  7. Micah 6:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this line is uncertain.
  8. Micah 6:10 An ephah was a dry measure.
  9. Micah 6:13 Or Therefore, I will make you ill and destroy you; / I will ruin
  10. Micah 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  11. Micah 6:14 Or You will press toward birth but not give birth, / and what you bring to birth
  12. Micah 6:16 Septuagint; Hebrew scorn due my people
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Micah 4
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