< 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.
Alas for them who devise iniquity and work wickedness upon their beds, —in the light of the morning, they will execute it, for it is in the power of their hand.
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.
Thus do they covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them away, —and so they oppress the master and his household, the man and his 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.
Therefore, —Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! devising, against this family, a calamity, —from which ye shall not remove your neck, neither shall ye walk loftily, for, a time of calamity, shall it be.
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.
In that day, shall one take up against you a by-word, and lament a lamentable lamentation, saying—we are made, utterly desolate, the portion of my people, he passeth to others, —How doth he set me aside! To an apostate, our fields, doth he apportion.
5 Therefore, you have no caster of a line by lot In the assembly of YHWH.
Therefore, shalt thou have none to throw a measuring-line by lot, —in the convocation of Yahweh.
6 You do not prophesy—they prophesy, They do not prophesy to these, It does not remove shame.
Do not sputter—So they sputter! They must not sputter as to these things, Must he not put away reproaches?
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?
O thou who art said to be the house of Jacob, Is the spirit of Yahweh, impatient? Or are, these, his doings? Are not, his words, pleasant to him who is upright in his walk?
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, against my people, as an enemy, he setteth himself, from off the robe, they tear away, the cloak, —from such as are passing by with confidence, as men averse from war.
9 The women of My people you cast out from its delightful house, From its sucklings you take away My honor for all time.
The wives of my people, ye do even drive out, each from the house of her darlings, —from over her children, ye do take away mine ornament, as long as life shall last.
10 Rise and go, for this [is] not the rest, Because of uncleanness it corrupts, And corruption is powerful.
Arise ye and depart, for, this, is not the place of rest, —Because it is defiled, it shall make desolate with a desolation that is ruthless.
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 there be a man, who goeth after wind, and, falsehood, hath woven, [saying] —I will discourse to thee, concerning wine and strong drink, then shall he become a fountain of discourse unto 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, surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee, I will, surely gather, the remnant of Israel, at once, will I make them like sheep in distress, —Like a flock in the midst of its pasture, shall they hum with men,
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!”
One making a breach, hath gone up, before them, they have broken in, and passed through, and, by the gate, have departed, —and their king, hath passed through, before them, with, Yahweh, at their head!