Micah 2
1 Woe [to] those devising iniquity, And working evil on their beds, In the light of the morning they do it, For their hand is — to God.
Woe to you who devise useless things and who work evil in your beds. In the morning light, they undertake it, because their hand is against God.
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.
And they have desired fields and have taken them by violence, and they have stolen houses. And they have made false accusations against a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore, thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am devising against this family evil, From which ye do not remove your necks, Nor walk loftily, for a time of evil it [is].
For this reason, thus says the Lord: Behold, I devise an evil against this family, from which you will not steal away your necks. And you will not walk in arrogance, because this is a most wicked time.
4 In that day doth [one] take up for you a simile, And he hath wailed a wailing of woe, He hath said, We have been utterly spoiled, The portion of my people He doth change, How doth He move toward me! To the backslider our fields He apportioneth.
In that day, a parable will be taken up about you, and a song will be sung with sweetness, saying: “We have been devastated by depopulation.” The fate of my people has been altered. How can he withdraw from me, when he might be turned back, he who might tear apart our country?
5 Therefore, thou hast no caster of a line by lot In the assembly of Jehovah.
Because of this, there will be for you no casting of the cord of fate in the assembly of the Lord.
6 Ye do not prophesy — they do prophesy, They do not prophesy to these, It doth not remove shame.
Do not speak by saying, “It will not drop on these ones; shame will not embrace them.”
7 Doth the house of Jacob say, 'Hath the Spirit of Jehovah been shortened? Are these His doings?' Do not My words benefit the people that is walking uprightly?
The house of Jacob says, “Has the Spirit of the Lord been weakened, or are such things his thoughts?” Are not my words good for him who walks uprightly?
8 And yesterday My people for an enemy doth raise himself up, From the outer garment the honourable ornament ye strip off, From the confident passers by, Ye who are turning back from war.
But, to the contrary, my people have risen up in opposition. You have lifted the cover from the undergarment, and those who passed by harmlessly, you have converted into war.
9 The women of My people ye cast out from its delightful house, From its sucklings ye take away My honour to the age.
You have evicted the women among my people from their delicate houses. You have taken my praise forever from their little ones.
10 Rise and go, for this [is] not the rest, Because of uncleanness it doth corrupt, And corruption is powerful.
Rise and depart, for there is no relief for you here. Because of its uncleanness, it will be corrupted with a most wicked decay.
11 If one is going [with] the wind, And [with] falsehood hath lied: 'I prophesy to thee of wine, and of strong drink,' He hath been the prophet of this people!
I wish that I were not a man who has breath, and that I rather spoke a lie. I will drop it down to you in wine and in drunkenness. And it will be this people on whom it will rain down.
12 I do surely gather thee, O Jacob, all of thee, I surely bring together the remnant of Israel, Together I do set it as the flock of Bozrah, As a drove in the midst of its pasture, It maketh a noise because of man.
I will gather together in a congregation all of you, Jacob. I will lead together as one, the remnant of Israel. I will set them together like a flock in the fold, like a sheep in the midst of the sheep pen. They will cause a tumult before the multitude of men.
13 Gone up hath the breaker before them, They have broken through, Yea, they pass through the gate, Yea, they go out through it, And pass on doth their king before them, And Jehovah at their head!
For he will ascend, opening the way before them. They will separate, and they will cross the gate and enter through it. And their king will pass by, before their very eyes, and the Lord will be at their head.
