Micah 5:1-15
A Promised Ruler Will Come From Bethlehem
Jerusalem, you are being attacked.
So bring your troops together.
Our enemies have surrounded us.
They want to slap the face of Israel’s ruler.
The Lord says,
“Bethlehem Ephrathah, you might not be
an important town in the nation of Judah.
But out of you will come for me
a ruler over Israel.
His family line goes back
to the early years of your nation.
It goes all the way back
to days of long ago.”
The Lord will hand over his people to their enemies.
That will last until the pregnant woman bears her promised son.
Then the rest of his relatives in Judah
will return to their land.
That promised son will stand firm
and be a shepherd for his flock.
The Lord will give him the strength to do it.
The Lord his God will give him
the authority to rule.
His people will live safely.
His greatness will reach
from one end of the earth to the other.
And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians attack our land.
They will march through our forts.
But we will raise up against them many shepherds.
We’ll send out against them
as many commanders as we need to.
They will use their swords to rule over Assyria.
They’ll rule the land of Nimrod
with swords that are ready to strike.
The Assyrians will march across our borders
and attack our land.
But the promised ruler will save us from them.
Jacob’s people who are still left alive
will be scattered among many nations.
They will be like dew the Lord has sent.
Dew doesn’t depend on any human being.
They will be like rain that falls on the grass.
Rain doesn’t wait for someone to give it orders.
So Jacob’s people will be scattered
among many nations.
They will be like a lion
among the animals in the forest.
They’ll be like a young lion
among flocks of sheep.
Lions attack and tear apart their prey as they move along.
No one can keep them
from killing what they want.
Lord, your power will win the battle
over your enemies.
All of them will be destroyed.
“At that time I will destroy
your war horses,” announces the Lord.
“I will smash your chariots.
I will destroy the cities in your land.
I will tear down all your forts.
I will destroy your worship of evil powers.
You will no longer be able
to put a spell on anyone.
I will destroy the statues of your gods.
I will take your sacred stones away from you.
You will no longer bow down
to the gods your hands have made.
I will pull down the poles you used
to worship the female god named Asherah.
That will happen when I completely destroy your cities.
I will pay back the nations
that have not obeyed me.
I will direct my anger against them.”
Micah 6:1-16
The Lord Brings Charges Against Israel
Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. He says to me,
“Stand up in court.
Let the mountains serve as witnesses.
Let the hills hear what you have to say.”
Hear the Lord’s case, you mountains.
Listen, you age-old foundations of the earth.
The Lord has a case against his people Israel.
He is bringing charges against them.
The Lord says,
“My people, what have I done to you?
Have I made things too hard for you? Answer me.
I brought your people up out of Egypt.
I set them free from the land
where they were slaves.
I sent Moses to lead them.
Aaron and Miriam helped him.
Remember how Balak, the king of Moab,
planned to put a curse on your people.
But Balaam, the son of Beor,
gave them a blessing instead.
Remember their journey from Shittim to Gilgal.
I want you to know
that I always do what is right.”
The people of Israel say,
“What should we bring with us
when we go to worship the Lord?
What should we offer the God of heaven
when we bow down to him?
Should we take burnt offerings to him?
Should we sacrifice calves
that are a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams?
Will he take delight in 10,000 rivers of olive oil?
Should we offer our oldest sons
for the wrong things we’ve done?
Should we sacrifice our own children
to pay for our sins?”
The Lord has shown you what is good.
He has told you what he requires of you.
You must act with justice.
You must love to show mercy.
And you must be humble as you live in the sight of your God.
The Lord Will Punish His Guilty People
The Lord is calling out to Jerusalem.
And it would be wise to pay attention to him.
He says, “Listen, tribe of Judah
and you people who are gathered in the city.
You sinful people, should I forget
that you got your treasures by stealing them?
You use dishonest measures to cheat others.
I have placed a curse on that practice.
Should I forgive anyone who uses dishonest scales?
They use weights that weigh things heavier
or lighter than they really are.
The rich people among you harm others.
You are always telling lies.
You try to fool others by what you say.
So I have begun to strike you down.
I have begun to destroy you
because you have sinned so much.
You will eat. But you will not be satisfied.
Your stomachs will still be empty.
You will try to save what you can.
But you will not be able to.
If you do save something,
it will be destroyed in battle.
You will plant seeds.
But you will not harvest any crops.
You will press olives.
But you will not use the oil.
You will crush grapes.
But you will not drink the wine
that is made from them.
You have followed the evil practices
of King Omri of Israel.
You have done what the family
of King Ahab did.
You have followed their bad example.
So I will let you be destroyed.
Others will make fun of you.
The nations will laugh at you.”
Micah 7:1-20
Israel’s Sin Brings Suffering
I’m suffering very much!
I’m like someone who gathers summer fruit in a vineyard
after the good fruit has already been picked.
No grapes are left to eat.
None of the early figs I long for remain.
Faithful people have disappeared from the land.
Those who are honest are gone.
Everyone hides and waits
to spill the blood of others.
They use nets to try and trap one another.
They are very good at doing what is evil.
Rulers require gifts.
Judges accept money from people
who want special favors.
Those who are powerful
always get what they want.
All of them make evil plans together.
The best of these people are as harmful as thorns.
The most honest of them are even worse.
God has come to punish you.
The time your prophets warned you about has come.
Panic has taken hold of you.
Don’t trust your neighbors.
Don’t put your faith in your friends.
Be careful what you say
even to your own wife.
Sons don’t honor their fathers.
Daughters refuse to obey their mothers.
Daughters-in-law are against their mothers-in-law.
A man’s enemies are the members of his own family.
But I will look to the Lord.
I’ll put my trust in God my Savior.
He will hear me.
Jerusalem Will Be Rebuilt
The people of Jerusalem say,
“Don’t laugh when we suffer,
you enemies of ours!
We have fallen.
But we’ll get up.
Even though we sit in the dark,
the Lord will give us light.
We’ve sinned against the Lord.
So he is angry with us.
His anger will continue until he takes up our case.
Then he’ll do what is right for us.
He’ll bring us out into the light.
Then we’ll see him save us.
Our enemies will see it too.
And they will be put to shame.
After all, they said to us,
‘Where is the Lord your God?’
But we will see them destroyed.
Soon they will be stomped on
like mud in the streets.”
People of Jerusalem, the time will come
when your walls will be rebuilt.
Land will be added to your territory.
At that time your people will come back to you.
They’ll return from Assyria
and the cities of Egypt.
They’ll come from the countries
between Egypt and the Euphrates River.
They’ll return from the lands
between the seas.
They’ll come back from the countries
between the mountains.
But the rest of the earth will be deserted.
The people who live in it
have done many evil things.
Prayer and Praise
Lord, be like a shepherd to your people.
Take good care of them.
They are your flock.
They live by themselves
in the safety of a forest.
Rich grasslands are all around them.
Let them eat grass in Bashan and Gilead
just as they did long ago.
The Lord says to his people,
“I showed you my wonders
when you came out of Egypt long ago.
In the same way, I will show them to you again.”
When the nations see those wonders,
they will be put to shame.
All their power will be taken away from them.
They will be so amazed
that they won’t be able to speak or hear.
They’ll be forced to eat dust like a snake.
They’ll be like creatures
that have to crawl on the ground.
They’ll come out of their dens
trembling with fear.
They’ll show respect for the Lord our God.
They will also have respect for his people.
Lord, who is a God like you?
You forgive sin.
You forgive your people
when they do what is wrong.
You don’t stay angry forever.
Instead, you take delight in showing
your faithful love to them.
Once again you will show loving concern for us.
You will completely wipe out
the evil things we’ve done.
You will throw all our sins
into the bottom of the sea.
You will be faithful to Jacob’s people.
You will show your love
to Abraham’s children.
You will do what you promised to do for our people.
You made that promise long ago.
