Micah 2

1 A curse on the designers of evil, working on their beds! in the morning light they do it, because it is in their power.

They meditated troubles, and wrought wickedness on their beds, and they put it in execution with the daylight; for they have not lifted up their hands to God.

2 They have a desire for fields and take them by force; and for houses and take them away: they are cruel to a man and his family, even to a man and his heritage.

And they desired fields, and plundered orphans, and oppressed families, and spoiled a man and his house, even a man and his inheritance.

3 For this cause the Lord has said, See, against this family I am purposing an evil from which you will not be able to take your necks away, and you will be weighted down by it; for it is an evil time.

Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I devise evils against this family, out of which ye shall not lift up your necks, neither shall ye walk upright speedily: for the time is evil.

4 In that day this saying will be said about you, and this song of grief will be made: The heritage of my people is measured out, and there is no one to give it back; those who have made us prisoners have taken our fields from us, and complete destruction has come to us.

In that day shall a parable be taken up against you, and a plaintive lamentation shall be uttered, saying, We are thoroughly miserable: the portion of my people has been measured out with a line, and there was none to hinder him so as to turn him back; your fields have been divided.

5 For this cause you will have no one to make the decision by the measuring line in the meeting of the Lord.

Therefore thou shalt have no one to cast a line for the lot.

6 Let not words like these be dropped, they say: Shame and the curse will not come to the family of Jacob!

Weep not with tears in the assembly of the Lord, neither let [any] weep for these things; for he shall not remove the reproaches,

7 Is the Lord quickly made angry? are these his doings? do not his words do good to his people Israel?

who says, The house of Jacob has provoked the Spirit of the Lord; are not these his practices? Are not the Lord's words right with him? and have they not proceeded correctly?

8 As for you, you have become haters of those who were at peace with you: you take the clothing of those who go by without fear, and make them prisoners of war.

Even beforetime my people withstood [him] as an enemy against his peace; they have stripped off his skin to remove hope [in] the conflict of war.

9 The women of my people you have been driving away from their dearly loved children; from their young ones you are taking my glory for ever.

The leaders of my people shall be cast forth from their luxurious houses; they are rejected because of their evil practices; draw ye near to the everlasting mountains.

10 Up! and go; for this is not your rest: because it has been made unclean, the destruction ordered will come on you.

Arise thou, and depart; for this is not thy rest because of uncleanness: ye have been utterly destroyed;

11 If a man came with a false spirit of deceit, saying, I will be a prophet to you of wine and strong drink: he would be the sort of prophet for this people.

ye have fled, no one pursuing [you: thy] spirit has framed falsehood, it has dropped on thee for wine and strong drink. But it shall come to pass, [that] out of the dropping of this people,

12 I will certainly make all of you, O Jacob, come together; I will get together the rest of Israel; I will put them together like the sheep in their circle: like a flock in their green field; they will be full of the noise of men.

Jacob shall be completely gathered with all [his people: ] I will surely receive the remnant of Israel; I will cause them to return together, as sheep in trouble, as a flock in the midst of their fold: they shall rush forth from among men through the breach made before them:

13 The opener of the way will go up before them: forcing their way out they will go on to the doorway and out through it: their king will go on before them, and the Lord at their head.

they have broken through, and passed the gate, and gone out by it: and their king has gone out before them, and the Lord shall lead them.