Micah 4
1 In the last days, the mountain where the Lord's Temple stands will be recognized as the highest of all mountains, rising above other hills. Crowds of people from many places will travel to it.
But it shall come to pass in the last days That the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established at the head of the mountains, And exalted above the hills; And the nations shall flow to it.
2 Many nations will come and say, “Let's go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob. There God will teach us his ways and we will follow his directions.” God's teachings will spread out from Zion, his word from Jerusalem.
And many nations shall go, saying, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, To the house of the God of Jacob, That he may teach us his ways, And that we may walk in his paths!” For from Zion shall go forth a law, And the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
3 The Lord will decide the cases of the nations, he will settle arguments between distant powerful nations. They will hammer their swords and turn them into plough blades, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will not fight against each other anymore; they will no longer learn methods of warfare.
He shall be a judge of many nations, And an umpire of many kingdoms afar off. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, And their spears into pruning-hooks; Nation shall not lift up the sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.
4 Everyone will be able to sit under their own vine and their own fig tree, for there will be no one to make them afraid. I the Lord Almighty has spoken!
But they shall sit every one under his vine, And under his fig-tree, And none shall make them afraid; The mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it.
5 Even though all the other nations follow their gods, we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.
Though all the nations walk every one in the name of its God, Yet will we walk in the name of Jehovah our God for ever and ever.
6 On that day, declares the Lord, I will gather those who are lame, I will bring together those who have been scattered in exile, those whom I punished.
In that day, saith Jehovah, I will gather the halting, And the far scattered I will assemble, And those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will make those who remain, crippled and driven far away, into a strong nation, and the Lord will rule them from Mount Zion forever and ever.
I will make the halting a remnant, And the far scattered a strong nation; And Jehovah shall reign over them in mount Zion, Henceforth, even forever.
8 And as for you, Jerusalem, watchtower of the flock, your former royal rule and power will be returned to you: the kingdom will be given back to Jerusalem.
And thou, O tower of the flock, O hill of the daughter of Zion, to thee it shall come, To thee shall come the former dominion, Even the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 So why are you screaming aloud? Don't you have a king? Has the king who advises you died so that pain has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?
And now why dost thou cry aloud? Is there no king within thee? Have thy counsellors perished, That pangs have taken hold of thee, as of a woman in travail?
10 Thrash around in agony like a woman giving birth, people of Zion—for you will be expelled from the city, forced to camp out in the open, and exiled to Babylon. But the Lord will bring you back, and rescue you from the power of your enemies.
Yea, writhe, and be in anguish, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail! For now shalt thou go forth from the city, and dwell in the field; Thou shalt go even to Babylon; Yet there shalt thou be delivered. Jehovah will redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
11 Right now many enemies are gathered against you, saying, “Let us attack and violate her, so we can look with gloating over Zion!”
Now many nations gather themselves against thee, Who say, Let her be polluted, And let our eyes gaze upon Zion!
12 But they don't know what the Lord is thinking, and don't understand what he is planning. He has brought them together like bundles of grain to the threshing floor.
But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah, And understand not his purposes; For he gathereth them as sheaves into the thrashing-floor.
13 People of Zion, get up and start threshing, for I will make for you iron horns and bronze hooves so you can break many nations into pieces. You will present their stolen plunder to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Arise and thrash, O daughter of Zion! For I will make thy horns iron, And thy hoofs brass; Thou shalt beat in pieces many nations, And thou shalt devote their spoils to Jehovah, Their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.
