Micah 2
1 Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.
2 And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus saith the LORD: Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye walk haughtily; for it is an evil time.
Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I am planning against this nation a disaster from which you cannot free your necks. Then you will not walk so proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day shall they take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, [and] say, We be utterly spoiled: he changeth the portion of my people: how doth he remove [it] from me! to the rebellious he divideth our fields.
In that day they will take up a proverb against you and taunt you with this bitter lamentation: ‘We are utterly ruined! He has changed the portion of my people. How He has removed it from me! He has allotted our fields to traitors.’”
5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast the line by lot in the congregation of the LORD.
Therefore, you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot.
6 Prophesy ye not, [thus] they prophesy. They shall not prophesy to these: reproaches shall not depart.
“Do not preach,” they preach. “Do not preach these things; disgrace will not overtake us.”
7 Shall it be said, O house of Jacob, Is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?
Should it be said, O house of Jacob, “Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient? Are these the things He does?” Do not My words bring good to him who walks uprightly?
8 But of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye strip the robe from off the garment from them that pass by securely [as men] averse from war.
But of late My people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from unsuspecting passersby like men returning from battle.
9 The women of my people ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their young children ye take away my glory for ever.
You drive the women of My people from their pleasant homes. You take away My blessing from their children forever.
10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because of uncleanness that destroyeth, even with a grievous destruction.
Arise and depart, for this is not your place of rest, because its defilement brings destruction— a grievous destruction!
11 If a man walking in wind and falsehood do lie, [saying], I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.
If a man of wind were to come and say falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be just the preacher for this people!
12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah: as a flock in the midst of their pasture, they shall make great noise by reason of [the multitude of] men.
I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the midst of its pasture— a noisy throng.
13 The breaker is gone up before them: they have broken forth and passed on to the gate, and are gone out thereat: and their king is passed on before them, and the LORD at the head of them.
One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate, and go out by it. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD as their leader.
