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.
Woe to those who lie awake planning evil, who in the light of morning carry out their plan because they have the power to do it.
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 covet fields and seize them, desire houses and take them, they crush householder and his household, people and their possessions.
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.
Therefore the Lord says: ‘I am planning disaster from which you cannot save your neck, nor walk proudly because it will be a terrible time.
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 sing a taunt-song to you, this mocking lament: “My people’s estate is being measured for sale, our captors are dividing our fields. We are completely undone.”
5 Therefore, you have no caster of a line by lot In the assembly of YHWH.
There will be no one to measure out land for you from the Lord’s community.
6 You do not prophesy—they prophesy, They do not prophesy to these, It does not remove shame.
‘“Don’t rant!” they urge, “Of such things one does not prophesy! Shame will not overtake 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?
Is the Lord impatient, or are such things his deeds? Are not his words favourable to the family of Jacob?” Aren’t my commands good for those who obey them?
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.
But you, you stand up as a foe against those who are peaceful; you strip the robe from those who pass by quietly, averse to conflict.
9 The women of My people you cast out from its delightful house, From its sucklings you take away My honor for all time.
Women of my people you drive out from their happy homes, from their young children you take away my glory forever.
10 Rise and go, for this [is] not the rest, Because of uncleanness it corrupts, And corruption is powerful.
Rise and begone, for this is no place to rest. Your uncleanness brings destruction, severe destruction.
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 person walking in wine and falsehood were to say, “I will prophesy to you of wine and strong drink,” then he would be the perfect prophet for this 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 assuredly assemble all of Jacob, I will surely gather the survivors of Israel. I will herd them together as sheep in a fold, like a flock in the pasture, and the land will resound with the sounds of multitudes.
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 breaks out goes first. They have broken forth and passed by the gate and through it have they gone out. Their king leads before them, the Lord at their head.’
