< Micah 4 >
1 And it has come to pass, In the latter end of the days, The mountain of the house of YHWH Is established above the top of the mountains, And it has been lifted up above the hills, And flowed to it have peoples.
But in the last days it will come about that the mountain of the Lord's house will be placed on the top of the mountains, and be lifted up over the hills; and peoples will be flowing to it.
2 And gone have many nations and said, “Come and we go up to the mountain of YHWH, And to the house of the God of Jacob, And He teaches us of His ways, And we walk in His paths,” For a law goes forth from Zion, And a word of YHWH from Jerusalem.
And a number of nations will go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will give us knowledge of his ways and we will be guided by his word: for from Zion the law will go out, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And He has judged between many peoples, And given a decision to mighty nations far off, They have beaten their swords to plowshares, And their spears to pruning-hooks, Nation does not lift up sword to nation, Nor do they learn war anymore.
And he will be judge between great peoples, and strong nations far away will be ruled by his decisions; their swords will be hammered into plough-blades and their spears into vine-knives: nations will no longer be lifting up their swords against one another, and knowledge of war will have gone for ever.
4 And they have sat each under his vine, And under his fig tree, And there is none troubling, For the mouth of YHWH of Hosts has spoken.
But every man will be seated under his vine and under his fig-tree, and no one will be a cause of fear to them: for the mouth of the Lord of armies has said it.
5 For all the peoples walk, Each in the name of its god—and we, We walk in the Name of our God YHWH, For all time and forever.
For all the peoples will be walking, every one in the name of his god, and we will be walking in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
6 “In that day,” a declaration of YHWH, “I gather the halting one, And the driven away one I bring together, And she whom I have afflicted.
In that day, says the Lord, I will get together her who goes with uncertain steps, I will get together her who has been sent away, and her on whom I have sent evil;
7 And I have set the halting for a remnant, And the far-off for a mighty nation, And YHWH has reigned over them in Mount Zion, From now on, and for all time.
And I will make her whose steps were uncertain a small band, and her who was feeble a strong nation: and the Lord will be their King in Mount Zion from now and for ever.
8 And you, O Tower of Eder, Fort of the daughter of Zion, to you it comes, Indeed, the former rule has come in, The kingdom to the daughter of Jerusalem.”
And you, O tower of the flock, Ophel of the daughter of Zion, to you it will come, even the earlier authority, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 Now why do you shout aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, That pain as of a travailing woman has taken hold of you?
Now why are you crying so loudly? is there no king in you? has destruction come on your wise helper? so that pains have taken you like the pains of a woman in childbirth:
10 Be pained, and bring forth, O daughter of Zion, As a travailing woman, For now you go forth from the city, And you have dwelt in the field, And you have gone to Babylon, There you are delivered, There YHWH redeems you from the hand of your enemies.
Be in pain, make sounds of grief, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in childbirth: for now you will go out of the town, living in the open country, and will come even to Babylon; there you will have salvation; there the Lord will make you free from the hands of your haters.
11 And now, many nations have gathered against you, who are saying: “Let her be defiled, and our eyes look on Zion.”
And now a number of nations have come together against you, and they say, Let her be made unclean and let our eyes see the fate of Zion.
12 They have not known the thoughts of YHWH, Nor have they understood His counsel, For He has gathered them as a sheaf [into] a threshing-floor.
But they have no knowledge of the thoughts of the Lord, their minds are not able to see his purpose: for he has got them together like stems of grain to the crushing-floor.
13 Arise, and thresh, O daughter of Zion, For I make your horn iron, And I make your hooves bronze, And you have beaten small many peoples, And I have devoted to YHWH their gain, And their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth!
Up! and let the grain be crushed, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron and your feet brass, and a number of peoples will be broken by you, and you will give up their increase to the Lord and their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.