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Micah New Living Translation (NLT)
Micah 1
1 The LORD gave these messages to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah
were kings of Judah. The messages concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem, and they came to Micah in the
form of visions.
Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem
2Attention! Let all the people of the world listen! The Sovereign LORD has made accusations against you; the
Lord speaks from his holy Temple.
3Look! The LORD is coming! He leaves his throne in heaven and comes to earth, walking on the high places.
4They melt beneath his feet and flow into the valleys like wax in a fire, like water pouring down a hill.
5And why is this happening? Because of the sins and rebellion of Israel and Judah. Who is to blame for Israel's
rebellion? Samaria, its capital city! Where is the center of idolatry in Judah? In Jerusalem, its capital!
6"So I, the LORD, will make the city of Samaria a heap of rubble. Her streets will be plowed up for planting
vineyards. I will roll the stones of her walls down into the valley below, exposing all her foundations. 7All her
carved images will be smashed to pieces. All her sacred treasures will be burned up. These things were
bought with the money earned by her prostitution, and they will now be carried away to pay prostitutes
elsewhere."
8Because of all this, I will mourn and lament. I will walk around naked and barefoot in sorrow and shame. I will
howl like a jackal and wail like an ostrich. 9For my people's wound is far too deep to heal. It has reached into
Judah, even to the gates of Jerusalem.
10Don't tell our enemies in the city of Gath; don't weep at all. You people in Beth-leaphrah, roll in the dust to
show your anguish and despair. 11You people of Shaphir, go as captives into exile--naked and ashamed. The
people of Zaanan dare not come outside their walls. The people of Beth-ezel mourn because the very
foundations of their city have been swept away. 12The people of Maroth anxiously wait for relief, but only
bitterness awaits them as the LORD's judgment reaches even to the gates of Jerusalem.
13Quick! Use your swiftest chariots and flee, you people of Lachish. You were the first city in Judah to follow
Israel in the sin of idol worship, and so you led Jerusalem into sin. 14Send a farewell gift to Moresheth-gath;
there is no hope of saving it. The town of Aczib has deceived the kings of Israel, for it promised help it could
not give. 15You people of Mareshah, I will bring a conqueror to capture your town. And the leaders of Israel
will go to Adullam.
16Weep, you people of Judah! Shave your heads in sorrow, for the children you love will be snatched away,
and you will never see them again. Make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for your little ones will be exiled to
distant lands.
chapter 2
Judgment against Wealthy Oppressors
1How terrible it will be for you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to
carry out any of the wicked schemes you have power to accomplish. 2When you want a certain piece of land,
you find a way to seize it. When you want someone's house, you take it by fraud and violence. No one's
family or inheritance is safe with you around!
3But this is what the LORD says: "I will reward your evil with evil; you won't be able to escape! After I am
through with you, none of you will ever again walk proudly in the streets."
4In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about your experience:
"We are finished,
completely ruined!
God has confiscated our land,
taking it from us.
He has given our fields
to those who betrayed us."
5Others will set your boundaries then, and the LORD's people will have no say in how the land is divided.
True and False Prophets
6"Don't say such things," the people say. "Don't prophesy like that. Such disasters will never come our way!"
7Should you talk that way, O family of Israel? Will the LORD have patience with such behavior? If you would
do what is right, you would find my words to be good. 8Yet to this very hour my people rise against me! You
steal the shirts right off the backs of those who trusted you, making them as ragged as men who have just
come home from battle. 9You have evicted women from their homes and stripped their children of all their
God-given rights. 10Up! Begone! This is no longer your land and home, for you have filled it with sin and
ruined it completely.
11Suppose a prophet full of lies were to say to you, "I'll preach to you the joys of wine and drink!" That's just
the kind of prophet you would like!
Hope for Restoration
12"Someday, O Israel, I will gather the few of you who are left. I will bring you together again like sheep in a
fold, like a flock in its pasture. Yes, your land will again be filled with noisy crowds! 13Your leader will break
out and lead you out of exile. He will bring you through the gates of your cities of captivity, back to your own
land. Your king will lead you; the LORD himself will guide you."
chapter 3
Judgment against Israels Leaders
1Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, 2but you are the very ones who
hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh off their bones. 3You eat my people's
flesh, cut away their skin, and break their bones. You chop them up like meat for the cooking pot. 4Then you
beg the LORD for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to listen? After all the evil you have done,
he won't even look at you!
5This is what the LORD says to you false prophets: "You are leading my people astray! You promise peace for
those who give you food, but you declare war on anyone who refuses to pay you. 6Now the night will close
around you, cutting off all your visions. Darkness will cover you, making it impossible for you to predict the
future. The sun will set for you prophets, and your day will come to an end. 7Then you seers will cover your
faces in shame, and you diviners will be disgraced. And you will admit that your messages were not from God."
8But as for me, I am filled with power and the Spirit of the LORD. I am filled with justice and might, fearlessly
pointing out Israel's sin and rebellion. 9Listen to me, you leaders of Israel! You hate justice and twist all that
is right. 10You are building Jerusalem on a foundation of murder and corruption. 11You rulers govern for the
bribes you can get; you priests teach God's laws only for a price; you prophets won't prophesy unless you are
paid. Yet all of you claim you are depending on the LORD. "No harm can come to us," you say, "for the LORD
is here among us."
12So because of you, Mount Zion will be plowed like an open field; Jerusalem will be reduced to rubble! A
great forest will grow on the hilltop, where the Temple now stands.
chapter 4
The LORDs Future Reign
1In the last days, the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem will become the most important place on earth. People
from all over the world will go there to worship. 2Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may
obey him." For in those days the LORD's teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem.
3The LORD will settle international disputes. All the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their
spears into pruning hooks. All wars will stop, and military training will come to an end. 4Everyone will live
quietly in their own homes in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD Almighty has
promised this! 5Even though the nations around us worship idols, we will follow the LORD our God forever and
ever.
Israels Return from Exile
6"In that coming day," says the LORD, "I will gather together my people who are lame, who have been exiles,
filled with grief. 7They are weak and far from home, but I will make them strong again, a mighty nation. Then
I, the LORD, will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever."
8As for you, O Jerusalem, the citadel of God's people, your royal might and power will come back to you
again. The kingship will be restored to my precious Jerusalem. 9But why are you now screaming in terror?
Have you no king to lead you? He is dead! Have you no wise people to counsel you? All are gone! Pain has
gripped you like it does a woman in labor. 10Writhe and groan in terrible pain, you people of Jerusalem, for you
must leave this city to live in the open fields. You will soon be sent into exile in distant Babylon. But the LORD
will rescue you there; he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies.
11True, many nations have gathered together against you, calling for your blood, eager to gloat over your
destruction. 12But they do not know the LORD's thoughts or understand his plan. These nations don't know
that he is gathering them together to be beaten and trampled like bundles of grain on a threshing floor.
13"Rise up and destroy the nations, O Jerusalem!" says the LORD. "For I will give you iron horns and bronze
hooves, so you can trample many nations to pieces. Then you will give all the wealth they acquired as
offerings to me, the Lord of all the earth."
chapter 5
A Ruler from Bethlehem
1Mobilize! Marshal your troops! The enemy is laying siege to Jerusalem. With a rod they will strike the leader
of Israel in the face.
2But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you,
one whose origins are from the distant past. 3The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the
time when the woman in labor gives birth to her son. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile
to their own land. 4And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD's strength, in the majesty of the name of
the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored all around the
world. 5And he will be the source of our peace.
When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch
over us, eight princes to lead us. 6They will rule Assyria with drawn swords and enter the gates of the land of
Nimrod. They will rescue us from the Assyrians when they pour over the borders to invade our land.
The Remnant Purified
7Then the few left in Israel will go out among the nations. They will be like dew sent by the LORD or like rain
falling on the grass, which no one can hold back. 8The remnant of Israel will go out among the nations and be
as strong as a lion. And the other nations will be like helpless sheep, with no one to rescue them. 9The people
of Israel will stand up to their foes, and all their enemies will be wiped out.
10"At that same time," says the LORD, "I will destroy all your weapons--your horses and chariots. 11I will tear
down your walls and demolish the defenses of your cities. 12I will put an end to all witchcraft; there will be
no more fortune-tellers to consult. 13I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again
worship the work of your own hands. 14I will abolish your pagan shrines with their Asherah poles and destroy
the cities where your idol temples stand. 15I will pour out my vengeance on all the nations that refuse to
obey me."
chapter 6
The LORDs Case against Israel
1Listen to what the LORD is saying: "Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be
called to witness your complaints.
2"And now, O mountains, listen to the LORD's complaint! He has a case against his people Israel! He will
prosecute them to the full extent of the law. 3O my people, what have I done to make you turn from me? Tell
me why your patience is exhausted! Answer me! 4For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from your
slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
5"Don't you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of
Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia to Gilgal, when I, the LORD, did everything
I could to teach you about my faithfulness."
6What can we bring to the LORD to make up for what we've done? Should we bow before God with offerings
of yearling calves? 7Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would
that please the LORD? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that
make him glad?
8No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Israels Guilt and Punishment
9Listen! Fear the LORD if you are wise! His voice is calling out to everyone in Jerusalem: "The armies of
destruction are coming; the LORD is sending them. 10Will there be no end of your getting rich by cheating?
The homes of the wicked are filled with treasures gained by dishonestly measuring out grain in short
measures. 11And how can I tolerate all your merchants who use dishonest scales and weights? 12The rich
among you have become wealthy through extortion and violence. Your citizens are so used to lying that their
tongues can no longer tell the truth.
13"Therefore, I will wound you! I will bring you to ruin for all your sins. 14You will eat but never have enough.
Your hunger pangs and emptiness will still remain. And though you try to save your money, it will come to
nothing in the end. You will save a little, but I will give it to those who conquer you. 15You will plant crops
but not harvest them. You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves. You will trample
the grapes but get no juice to make your wine.
16"The only laws you keep are those of evil King Omri; the only example you follow is that of wicked King
Ahab! Therefore, I will make an example of you, bringing you to complete ruin. You will be treated with
contempt, mocked by all who see you."
chapter 7
Misery Turned to Hope
1What misery is mine! I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest who can find nothing to eat. Not a cluster
of grapes or a single fig can be found to satisfy my hunger. 2The godly people have all disappeared; not one
fair-minded person is left on the earth. They are all murderers, even setting traps for their own brothers.
3They go about their evil deeds with both hands. How skilled they are at using them! Officials and judges alike
demand bribes. The people with money and influence pay them off, and together they scheme to twist
justice. 4Even the best of them is like a brier; the straightest is more crooked than a hedge of thorns. But
your judgment day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here.
5Don't trust anyone--not your best friend or even your wife! 6For the son despises his father. The daughter
defies her mother. The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own
household.
7As for me, I look to the LORD for his help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly
hear me. 8Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the
LORD himself will be my light. 9I will be patient as the LORD punishes me, for I have sinned against him. But
after that, he will take up my case and punish my enemies for all the evil they have done to me. The LORD
will bring me out of my darkness into the light, and I will see his righteousness. 10Then my enemies will see
that the LORD is on my side. They will be ashamed that they taunted me, saying, "Where is the LORD--that
God of yours?" With my own eyes I will see them trampled down like mud in the streets.
11In that day, Israel, your cities will be rebuilt, and your borders will be extended. 12People from many lands
will come and honor you--from Assyria all the way to the towns of Egypt, and from Egypt all the way to the
Euphrates River, and from many distant seas and mountains. 13But the land will become empty and desolate
because of the wickedness of those who live there.
The LORDs Compassion on Israel
14O LORD, come and rule your people; lead your flock in green pastures. Help them to live in peace and
prosperity. Let them enjoy the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead as they did long ago.
15"Yes," says the LORD, "I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in
Egypt."
16All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the LORD will do for you. They will be embarrassed
that their power is so insignificant. They will stand in silent awe, deaf to everything around them. 17They will
come to realize what lowly creatures they really are. Like snakes crawling from their holes, they will come out
to meet the LORD our God. They will fear him greatly, trembling in terror at his presence.
18Where is another God like you, who pardons the sins of the survivors among his people? You cannot stay
angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing mercy. 19Once again you will have
compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
20You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised with an oath to our ancestors
Abraham and Jacob long ago.