Micah 2
1 Woe to you that devise that which is unprofitable, and work evil in your beds: in the morning light they execute it, because their hand is against God.
Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
2 And they have coveted fields, and taken them by violence, and houses they have forcibly taken away: and oppressed a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.
And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
3 Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold, I devise an evil against this family: from which you shall not withdraw your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for this is a very evil time.
Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye walk haughtily; for it is an evil time.
4 In that day a parable shall be taken up upon you, and a song shall be sung with melody by them that say: We are laid waste and spoiled: the portion of my people is changed: how shall he depart from me, whereas he is returning that will divide our land?
In that day shall they take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, [and] say, We be utterly spoiled: he changeth the portion of my people: how doth he remove [it] from me! to the rebellious he divideth our fields.
5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast the cord of a lot in the assembly of the Lord.
Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast the line by lot in the congregation of the LORD.
6 Speak ye not, saying: It shall not drop upon these, confusion shall not take them.
Prophesy ye not, [thus] they prophesy. They shall not prophesy to these: reproaches shall not depart.
7 The house of Jacob saith: Is the spirit of the Lord straitened, or are these his thoughts? Are not my words good to him that walketh uprightly?
Shall it be said, O house of Jacob, Is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
8 But my people, on the contrary, are risen up as an enemy: you have taken away the cloak off from the coat: and them that passed harmless you have turned to war.
But of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye strip the robe from off the garment from them that pass by securely [as men] averse from war.
9 You have cast out the women of my people from their houses, in which they took delight: you have taken my praise for ever from their children.
The women of my people ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their young children ye take away my glory for ever.
10 Arise ye, and depart, for there is no rest here for you. For that uncleanness of the land, it shall be corrupted with a grievous corruption.
Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because of uncleanness that destroyeth, even with a grievous destruction.
11 Would God I were not a man that hath the spirit, and that I rather spoke a lie: I will let drop to thee of wine, and of drunkenness: and it shall be this people upon whom it shall drop.
If a man walking in wind and falsehood do lie, [saying], I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
12 I will assemble and gather together all of thee, O Jacob: I will bring together the remnant of Israel, I will put them together as a flock in the fold, as the sheep in the midst of the sheepcotes, they shall make a tumult by reason of the multitude of men.
I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah: as a flock in the midst of their pasture, they shall make great noise by reason of [the multitude of] men.
13 For he shall go up that shall open the way before them: they shall divide, and pass through the gate, and shall come in by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord at the head of them.
The breaker is gone up before them: they have broken forth and passed on to the gate, and are gone out thereat: and their king is passed on before them, and the LORD at the head of them.
