< 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.
Yahweh [says that] some day his temple will be on top of a mountain, and that mountain will be the most important [MET] one on the earth; it will be [as though it is] higher than all the hills, and huge groups of people from all over the world will come there [to worship].
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.
[People from] many nations will say [to each other], “Let’s go to the mountain where Yahweh is, to the temple where we can worship the God whom Jacob [worshiped]. There God will teach us how he wants us to conduct our lives, and we will do what he wants us to do.” Zion [Hill] is the place where he will teach [people]; and [people will go] out from Jerusalem [to tell others] his messages.
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.
Yahweh will settle disputes between many people, and he will [also] settle disputes between powerful nations that are far away. Then people will hammer their swords to cause them to become plow blades, and [hammer] their spears to cause them to become pruning knives. [Armies of] nations will no [longer] fight against [armies of other] nations, and they will no longer train [men how to fight] in wars.
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.
Everyone will sit [peacefully] under his own grapevines, and under his own fig trees; no one will cause them to be afraid. [That is what will surely happen] because the Commander of the armies of angels 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.
Many [HYP] [of the people of other] nations will worship [IDM] their own gods, but we will worship Yahweh our God always, forever.
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.
Yahweh says, “There will soon be a time when I will gather the people whom I have punished, who have been (exiled/forced to go to other countries), all those whom [I have caused to] suffer much.
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.
My people who did not die while they were exiled will become a strong nation [again]. Then [I], Yahweh, will be their king, and I will rule from Jerusalem forever.
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.”
As for you people of Jerusalem [MET], you who [guard all of my people] like [MET] [a shepherd guards his sheep] from a tower, you [who live on] Zion [Hill], will have great power again. You people who live in Jerusalem will again rule like you did previously.
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?
[So] why [RHQ] are you wailing now? Is it because you have no king? Have all your wise people died? You are groaning loudly like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby.
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.
[Well], you people of Jerusalem should writhe and groan like [SIM] a woman who is having birth pains, because now you must leave this city, and [while you are traveling], you will set up tents in open fields [at night]; you will go to [live in] Babylon. [But while you are] there, [I], Yahweh, will rescue you; I will free you from the power/control [MTY] of your enemies.
11 And now, many nations have gathered against you, who are saying: “Let her be defiled, and our eyes look on Zion.”
Now [the armies of] many nations have gathered to attack you. They are saying, ‘Jerusalem must be destroyed! We want to see this city [when it becomes ruins]!’
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 do not know what [I], Yahweh, think, and they do not understand what I plan: I will gather them [and punish them] like [SIM] [farmers] thresh grain on the ground.
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!
So, you people of Jerusalem, rise up and punish [MET] [the nations who oppose you]. I will cause you [to be very strong], [as if] [MET] you had horns made of iron, [as if] [MET] you had hoofs made of bronze; and you will crush many nations. And [then you will take] from your enemies the valuable things that they have taken [from other countries], and you will dedicate those things to [me, the one who is] the Lord of all [the people on] the earth.”