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Micah 2

God says that bad things will happen to the bad people

2 Micah continues:

People who prepare to do bad things should be afraid.
God will do bad things to them!
While they lie in bed, they think about bad things to do.
Then, when the morning comes, they do those bad things.
They have the authority to do whatever they want to do.
2 When they want fields, they take them from other people.
When they want houses, they take them.
These cruel people take other people's homes and fields;
then those people's families have nothing.

3 So the Lord says this to them:

‘I am against you.
You cannot save yourselves.
I will prepare trouble for you.
Then you will stop thinking that you are so very clever and important.
It will be a time of much trouble for you.
4 At that time, your enemies will laugh at you.
They will sing this sad song against you:
“God has completely destroyed us!
We no longer have any fields, because God has taken them away from us.
He has given them to our enemies, who have turned away from what is right.”
5 So, when the Lord 's people measure the land again to give fields to everyone,
you will get none. [ a ]
You will have nobody to speak on your behalf.’

False prophets

6 The people say to me, ‘Do not prophesy against us! [ b ]
Do not say that we will have trouble.
God will not make us ashamed!’
7 You should not talk like that, you who are descendants of Jacob.
Do you think that the Lord 's Spirit will always be patient with you?
If you agree to do what is right, then you will accept that my message is good.

8 The Lord says:

‘You have become like enemies among my people.
You rob people of their coats when they pass by.
Even men who thought that they were safe now.
You even rob men who are returning home from war.
9 You rob the women among my people too.
You take away their happy homes.
So you take away what I want their children to enjoy.
10 Get up and go away!
You cannot remain in this place because you have made it bad.
It is so bad that it will completely destroy you.
11 When a person speaks false messages to you, then you believe them.
They might say that you would have plenty of wine and strong drink.
That is the message that you would like!’ [ c ]

God promises to bring his people back together

12 ‘You people of Israel, I promise to bring all of you together.
I will bring back together all Israel's people who remain.
I will put all of you together like sheep in a field with a wall round it.
You will be like a field full of sheep.
There will be a loud noise because there will be so many of you.
13 The person who breaks open the way will go in front of you.
Then you will go out through the gate.
I am the Lord , your king, and I will lead you out.’

Footnotes

  1. 2:5 At certain times, the people measured their fields again. They used stones with marks on them to decide about the fields. Micah says that God is against the bad people. So God will never let them get any fields again in future times.
  2. 2:6 To prophesy means to speak (God's) messages, often about future events.
  3. 2:11 Micah spoke true messages from God. But other people were speaking false messages. They spoke words that made the bad people happy. In this verse, God is saying that the bad people should listen to Micah.

The Evil Plans of People

2 Trouble will come to those who make plans to sin.
They lie on their beds making their evil plans.
Then when the morning light comes, they do what they planned,
because they have the power to do what they want.
2 They want fields, so they take them.
They want houses, so they take them.
They cheat a man
and take his house and his land.

The Lord’s Plans to Punish the People

3 That is why the Lord says:
“Look, I am planning trouble against this family.
You will not be able to save yourselves. [ a ]
You will stop being proud,
because bad times are coming.
4 Then people will sing songs about you.
They will sing this sad song:
‘We are ruined!
The Lord took away our land and gave it to other people.
Yes, he took my land away from me.
He has divided our fields among our enemies.
5 So we will not be able to measure the land
and divide it among the Lord ’s people.’”

Micah Is Asked Not to Prophesy

6 The people say, “Don’t prophesy to us.
Don’t say those bad things about us.
Nothing bad will happen to us.”

7 But people of Jacob,
I must say these things.
The Lord is losing his patience
because of the bad things you did.
If you lived right,
I could say nice words to you.
8 But you attack my people like enemies.
You steal the clothes off the backs of people walking by.
They think they are safe,
but you are there to treat them like prisoners of war. [ b ]
9 You have taken nice houses
away from the women of my people.
You have taken my wealth
away from their small children forever.
10 Get up and leave!
This will not be your place of rest, because you ruined it.
You made it unclean, so it will be destroyed!
It will be a terrible destruction!

11 These people don’t want to listen to me.
But if a man comes telling lies, they will accept him.
They would accept a false prophet if he comes and says,
“There will be good times in the future, with plenty of wine and beer.”

The Lord Will Bring His People Together

12 Yes, people of Jacob, I will bring all of you together.
I will bring together all those in Israel who are still living.
I will put them together like sheep in the sheep pen,
like a flock in its pasture.
Then the place will be filled
with the noise of many people.
13 The “One Who Breaks Through Walls” will push through and walk to the front of his people.
They will break through the gates and leave that city.
They will leave with their king marching before them—
with the Lord at the front of his people.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:3 save yourselves Literally, “take your necks off it.”
  2. Micah 2:8 They think … war Or “Returning from war, they think they are safe.”

2 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.

2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

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 go haughtily: for this time is evil.

4 In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.

5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord .

6 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.

7 O thou that art named the 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?

8 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.

10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

11 If a man walking in the spirit 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.

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 the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.

Woe to Oppressors

2 Woe to those who ( A ) devise wrongdoing,
Who practice evil on their beds!
[ a ] ( B ) When morning comes, they do it,
Because it is in the ( C ) power of their hands.
2 They ( D ) covet fields, so they ( E ) seize them ;
And houses, so they take them .
They [ b ] ( F ) exploit a man and his house,
A person and his inheritance.

3 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“Behold, I am ( G ) planning against this ( H ) family a catastrophe
From which you ( I ) cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk ( J ) haughtily,
For it will be an ( K ) evil time.
4 On that day they will ( L ) take up against you a [ c ] song of mocking
And [ d ] ( M ) utter a song of mourning and say,
‘We are completely ( N ) destroyed!
He exchanges the share of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the apostate He ( O ) apportions our fields.’
5 Therefore you will have no one [ e ] ( P ) applying a measuring line
For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord .

6 ‘ ( Q ) Do not prophesy,’ so they prophesy.
But if [ f ] they do ( R ) not prophesy about these things,
( S ) Insults will not be turned back.
7 Is it being said, house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord ( T ) impatient?
Are these His works?’
Do My words not ( U ) do good
For the one ( V ) walking rightly?
8 [ g ] Recently My people have arisen as an ( W ) enemy—
You ( X ) strip the robe off the garment
From ( Y ) unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 You ( Z ) evict the women of My people,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My ( AA ) splendor forever.
10 Arise and go,
For this is no place ( AB ) of rest
Because of the ( AC ) uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 If someone walking after wind and ( AD ) falsehood
Had lied and said ,
‘I will prophesy to you about ( AE ) wine and liquor,’
He would become a prophet to ( AF ) this people.

12 “I will certainly ( AG ) assemble all of you, Jacob,
I will certainly gather the ( AH ) remnant of Israel.
I will put them together like sheep in the fold;
Like a flock in the midst of its pasture
They will be noisy with people.
13 The one who breaks through goes up before them;
They break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it.
So their king passes on before them,
And the Lord at their head.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:1 Lit In the light of the morning
  2. Micah 2:2 Or oppress
  3. Micah 2:4 Or proverb
  4. Micah 2:4 Lit lament
  5. Micah 2:5 Lit casting
  6. Micah 2:6 I.e., God’s prophets
  7. Micah 2:8 Lit And yesterday

Human Plans and God’s Plans

2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil ( A ) on their beds! ( B )
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields ( C ) and seize them, ( D )
and houses, and take them.
They defraud ( E ) people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance. ( F )

3 Therefore, the Lord says:

“I am planning disaster ( G ) against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly, ( H )
for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined; ( I )
my people’s possession is divided up. ( J )
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

5 Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord
to divide the land ( K ) by lot. ( L )

False Prophets

6 “Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
“Do not prophesy about these things;
disgrace ( M ) will not overtake us. ( N ) ”
7 You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
“Does the Lord become [ a ] impatient?
Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good ( O )
to the one whose ways are upright? ( P )
8 Lately my people have risen up
like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
from those who pass by without a care,
like men returning from battle.
9 You drive the women of my people
from their pleasant homes. ( Q )
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
For this is not your resting place, ( R )
because it is defiled, ( S )
it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver ( T ) comes and says,
‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ ( U )
that would be just the prophet for this people! ( V )

Deliverance Promised

12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant ( W ) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people. ( X )
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before ( Y ) them;
they will break through the gate ( Z ) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the Lord at their head.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord
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