Micah 2
1 Woe [to] those devising iniquity, And working evil on their beds, In the morning light they do it, For their hand is—to God.
How disastrous it will be for those who devise evil plans as they lie awake at night. They get up in the morning to carry them out, because they have the power to do just that.
2 And they have desired fields, And they have taken violently, And houses, and they have taken away, And have oppressed a man and his house, Even a man and his inheritance.
They seize any fields they want. They take any houses they want. They cheat people of their houses, and steal their inheritance.
3 Therefore, thus said YHWH: “Behold, I am devising against this family calamity, From which you do not remove your necks, Nor walk loftily, for it [is] a time of evil.
So this is what the Lord says. Watch out! I am planning to bring disaster on such families. They won't be able to escape. You will no longer walk around arrogantly, for this will be a time of disaster.
4 In that day [one] takes up for you an allegory, And he has wailed a wailing of woe, He has said, We have been utterly spoiled, The portion of my people He changes, How He moves toward me! To the backslider our fields He apportions.
On that day they will make up a saying to taunt you. With a mocking lament they will say, “We are totally ruined! Our possessions are being sold off. They've taken everything away, and given our fields to your conquerors.”
5 Therefore, you have no caster of a line by lot In the assembly of YHWH.
Consequently at that time there will be none of you in the assembly of the Lord responsible for the division of the land.
6 You do not prophesy—they prophesy, They do not prophesy to these, It does not remove shame.
But you preach at me, saying, “Don't preach such things. Don't prophesy like this. Such a humiliation won't happen to us!”
7 [Those] named the house of Jacob: Has the Spirit of YHWH been shortened? Are these His doings? Do My words not benefit the people that are walking uprightly?
Should you talk like that, descendants of Jacob? You ask, “Can the Lord run out of patience? Is this what he does?” Are not my words good to those who do what is right? asks the Lord.
8 And recently My people raise up as an enemy, You strip off the honorable ornament from the outer garment, From the confident passers by, You who are turning back from war.
Lately my people have risen up against me like an enemy. You steal the coats off the backs of those passing by, men returning from war who expect to be safe in their homeland.
9 The women of My people you cast out from its delightful house, From its sucklings you take away My honor for all time.
You drive the women of my people from their comfortable homes; you have robbed their children of my blessings forever.
10 Rise and go, for this [is] not the rest, Because of uncleanness it corrupts, And corruption is powerful.
Get up! Leave! For this is not a place for you to stay. It is defiled and totally ruined.
11 If one is going [with] the wind, And [with] falsehood has lied: I prophesy to you of wine, and of strong drink, He has been the prophet of this people!
If a false prophet should come to you and lie, saying, “I'll preach to you about the virtues of wine and alcohol,” he would be the perfect prophet for your kind of people.
12 I surely gather you, O Jacob, all of you, I surely bring together the remnant of Israel, Together I set it as the flock of Bozrah, As a drove in the midst of its pasture, It makes a noise because of man.
I will certainly gather all of you, descendants of Jacob, I will certainly bring back together those who are left, Israel. I will place them like sheep in the fold, like a flock in its pasture. The land will be filled with people celebrating.
13 The breaker has gone up before them, They have broken through, Indeed, they pass through the gate, Indeed, they go out through it, And their king passes on before them, And YHWH at their head!”
The One who opens the way for them will lead them, breaking through the gate and going out. Their King will lead them; the Lord himself will be at their head.
