不认识圣经，就是不认识基督，不认识基督，就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。
旧约·米该亚
共7章:
第一章(16)
题名
1:1
犹大王约堂、阿哈次和希则克雅年间，上主的话传给摩勒舍特人米该亚；以下是他关于撒马黎雅和耶路撒冷所见的圣视：
上主降来施行审判
1:2 众民族，你们请听!大地和充乎其间的万物，你们侧耳倾听!吾主上主要作证反抗你们，吾主已离开了他的圣殿。
1:3
看，上主已离开自己的居所下降，踏着大地高处前行。
1:4
在他脚下，诸山销镕，诸谷分裂，有如蜡在火前，有如冰泻斜坡。
1:5
这一切都是因为雅各伯的邪恶，犹大家的罪过。雅各伯的邪恶是什么﹖不就是撒马黎雅﹖犹大的罪过是什么﹖不就是耶路撒冷﹖
撒玛黎雅必遭毁灭
1:6 我必要使撒玛黎雅变为田野中的废墟，化为栽植葡萄的园地；我要把她的石头投入山谷，暴露她的基础。
1:7
她的一切雕像必被打碎；她的一切淫资必被火烧尽；她的一切偶像，我必使之变为废物，因为偶像是聚合娼妓淫资做成的，将再转为娼妓的淫资。
先知哀伤犹大的国运
1:8
为此，我要哀号悲鸣，我要赤足裸体而行；哀号若豺狼，悲鸣如驼鸟；
1:9
因为撒马黎雅的创伤无法医治，且已廷及犹大，逼近我百姓的门口，直达耶路撒冷。
1:10
你们在加特不要欢乐，在阿苛要恸哭，在贝特敖斐辣，要辗转于灰尘之中。
1:11
沙非尔的居民!人已向你吹起了号角；匝南的居民，不要走出自己的城!在贝特厄责耳有了哭诉，因为人从你们手中夺去了立足之地。
1:12
灾祸已由上主降于耶路撒冷门前，玛洛特的居民还怎能希望幸?t
1:13
拉基士的居民，你们要以快马驾车!你们是熙雍子女犯罪的开端，因为在你们中间找出以色列罪恶的根源。
1:14
摩勒舍特加特!人要给你送来临别的赠品；阿革齐布家为以色列君王，是一条变幻无常的溪流。
1:15
玛勒沙的居民，征服者还要来你们这里；的确，以色列的光荣阿杜兰将要消逝!
1:16
熙雍女子!你应为了你所爱的子女剃头削发，并要彻底使你的头光秃，有如一只兀鹰，因为你们已由你面前被掳去充军。
第二章(13)
权贵欺压穷人
2:1 祸哉，那些在床上筹划不义，图谋行恶的人!因为他们手中有能力，一到天亮，就去实行。
2:2
他们想要田地，便去霸占；想要房屋，便去夺取：以暴力对付业主和他的家族，物主和他的产业。
2:3
为此上主这样说：「看，我正在为这一家筹划灾祸，致令你们不能缩回你们的颈项，也不能挺身前行，因为那是一个灾祸的时刻。」
2:4
在那一日，人要作诗讽刺你们，唱这悲惨的哀歌说：「我们完全被抢掠了，我人民的基业已被人瓜分了，再无人归还；我们的土地已分配给抢掠我们的人!」
2:5
因此，你们在上主的集会中，再没有拉绳测量和抽签的人。
攻击假先知
2:6 他们讲说：「你们不要说预言。」「人不该预言这样的事，耻辱决不会来到我们身上!
2:7
雅各伯的家岂是可诅咒的﹖上主的气量岂能变为狭小﹖难道这是他的作风﹖他的话岂不是有益于以色列子民﹖」
2:8
「但是你们正像敌人一样，起来攻击我的人民，因为你们向没有短衣的人索求长袍，向平安走路的人索取战利品。
2:9
你们驱逐我人民的妇女离开她们的快乐家庭，从她们的婴儿身上，永远夺去我的光荣。
2:10
你们起来走吧!因为这不是你们安息之所。为了不洁，这地必要遭受不可挽救的毁灭。」
2:11
假若有人随从虚妄而撒谎说：「我要对你预言清酒和醇酒。」这人必可作这民族的先知。
以民终必复兴
2:12
我必要聚集雅各伯全民众，我必要集合以色列的遗民，使他们合并在一处，有如羊栏里的绵羊，有如牧场上的羊群，不再怕任何人。
2:13
开路者走在他们前面开道；他走在前面，众人随他穿门而过；他们的君王走在他们们前面，上主亲作他们的响导。
第三章(12)
官吏横征暴敛
3:1 我曾经说过：「雅各伯的首领，以色列家的官吏，请你们倾听!认识正义，岂不是你们分内的事﹖」
3:2
然而他们恶善好恶，从平民身上剥下他们的皮，从骨头上剔下他们的肉。
3:3
他们吞食我百姓的肉，剥去他们的皮，折断他们的骨头，将他们切成碎块，如釜中的肉，如鼎中的肉。
3:4
当他们呼求上主时，上主决不俯听他们；反要掩面不理他们，因为他们行了穷凶极恶的事。
真假先知的区别
3:5 论及迷惑我百姓的先知，上主这样说：当他们的牙齿有咀嚼的东西时，他们便呼喊：「和平。」但凡不将食物送到他们口上的，他们便宣布「战争。」
3:6
因此，为你们只有黑暗而没有神视，只有黑暗而没有神谕；太阳必为先知而没落，白昼必为他们而变为黑暗。
3:7
先知必将抱愧，巫士必将蒙羞，他们都要掩住自己的胡须，因为没有天主的答复。
3:8
至于我，我因上主的神而充满力量、正义和勇气，向雅各伯指出她的邪恶，向以色列说明她的罪过。
圣城圣殿必遭毁灭
3:9 雅各伯家的首领，以色列家的官吏，请你们倾听这事!你们憎恶正义，曲解一切正理；
3:10
你们以血债建住熙雍,用邪恶建设耶路撒冷。
3:11
她的首领为贿赂而审判，司祭为薪俸而设教，先知为银钱而占卜，尚依赖上主说：「上主不是在我们中间吗﹖灾祸决不会临于我们身上!」
3:12
因此，为了你们的缘故，熙雍必被耕耘有如一块田地．耶路撒冷必成为一堆废墟，圣殿山必成为丛林中的一个丘陵。
第四章(14)
熙雍将为神国的中心
4:1 到末日，上主的圣殿山必要矗立在群山之上，超乎一切山岳，万民都要向它涌来；
4:2
将有许多民族前来说：「来，我们攀登上主的圣山，往雅各伯天主的殿里去!他必指示我们他的道路，教给我们循行他的途径，因为法律将出自熙雍，上主的话将出自耶路撒冷。」
4:3
他将统治万民，为远处的强国宣布定案；他们必要把自己的刀剑铸成锄头，将自己的枪矛制成镰刀；民族与民族不再持刀相向，人也不再学习武斗；
4:4
各人只坐在自家葡萄树和无花果树下，无人来惊扰，因为万军的上主亲口说了。
4:5
虽然万民各奉自己神祗之名而生活，但是我们却永远奉上主我们天主之名而生活。
遗民再回熙雍
4:6 到那一日──上主的断语──我要聚集跛行的人，集合被驱散和我所磨难的人；
4:7
我必使跛行的人成为遗民，使离散的人成为强大的民族。从今以后，我，上主要在熙雍山上作他们的君王，以至永远。
耶路撒冷复兴前的艰难
4:8 你这羊群的守望台，熙雍女子的高岗，昔日的王权必再归于你，耶路撒冷女子的王国必再来临。
4:9
现在你为什么高呼﹖难道你中间没有了君王，或者你的参议已丧亡，令你痛苦，像临产的妇女﹖
4:10
熙雍女子，你应辗转呻吟，像个临产的妇女，因为现在你应出城，住在田野，并且要到巴比伦去，在那里你将获救；在那里，上主你的的天主，要从你仇敌手中把你赎回。
最后胜利终属耶路撒冷
4:11 现在许多异族集合起来攻击你说：「愿她赤身裸体，愿我们亲眼见到熙雍灭亡!」
4:12
但是他们不知道上主的心意，不明白他的策略，原来是上主集合了他们，如把禾捆收集在禾场上一样。
4:13
熙雍女子，起来打场吧!因为我要使你们的角变成铁角，使你的蹄变成铜蹄，使你踏碎许多民族；你将把他们的战利品奉献给上主，将他们的财宝奉献给全地的主宰。
耶路撒冷正陷于困难
4:14 被围攻的女子，现在你要抓伤己身，他们已围困住我们，用棍杖搫打以色列民长的面颊。
第五章(14)
默西亚君王出于白冷
5:1 厄弗辣大白冷!你在犹大群邑中虽是最小的，但是将由你为我生出一位统治以色列的人，他的来历源于亘古，远自永远的时代。
5:2
因此，上主必将遗弃他们，直到孕妇生产之时，那时他弟兄中的遗民必将归来，与以色列子民团聚。
5:3
他必卓然屹立，以上主的能力及上主他的天主之名的威权，牧放自己的羊群。他们将获得安居，因为他必大有权势，直达地极。
5:4
他本人将是和平!当亚述侵入我们地域，蹂躏我们领土时，必有七个牧者，八个人民首领奋起对抗。
5:5
他们必用刀统治亚述地，用剑管辖尼默洛得地。当亚述侵入我们地域，蹂躏我们的境域时，他必救援我们。
上主是遗民的保障
5:6 那时，雅各伯的遗民，在许多民族中，必如由上主而来的朝露，必如落于青草上的甘霖，不再期待于人，也不寄望于人子。
5:7
那时，雅各伯的遗民，在异民中，在许多民族中，必如狮子在森林百兽中，必如幼狮在羊群中，所经之处，必加以蹂躏摧残，无人能够抢救。
5:8
你的手将高举在你敌人之上，你的一切仇敌必要灭绝。
上主消弭战争和偶像
5:9 到那一日──上主的断语──我必由你中间毁灭你的战马，破坏你的车辆，
5:10
毁坏你境内的城市，倾覆你的一切堡垒，
5:11
灭绝你手中的巫术，使你不再有人占卜；
5:12
我必由你中间消灭你的雕像和石柱，使你不再膜拜你手制的作品；
5:13
我必由你中间根除你的神柱，毁坏你的神像；
5:14
对那不顺服的异民，我必在盛怒激愤之下施以报复。
第六章(16)
上主申斥以民负恩
6:1 惟愿你们倾听上主所说的话：「起来，在诸山面前进行诉讼，使诸丘陵能听见你的声音!」
6:2
诸山，请听上主的申诉；大地的基础，侧耳聆听吧!因为上主与他的人民有所争讼，与以色列有所争辩：
6:3
「我的人民!我对你做了什么﹖我在什么事上叫你讨厌﹖请你答复我!
6:4
难道是因为我由埃及地领了你上来，从奴隶之家赎了你回来，在你面前委派了梅瑟、亚郎和米黎盎﹖
6:5
我的人民，请你记忆摩阿布王巴拉克图谋过什么事，贝敖尔的儿子巴郎答应了他什么；再记忆从史廷到基耳加耳发生过什么事，好使你明了上主的仁慈作为。」
人民请求指教
6:6 「我要到上主那里，叩拜至高者天主，应进献什么？应进献全燔祭，还是应进献一岁的牛犊？
6:7
上主岂喜悦万千的公羊，或万道河流的油﹖为了我的过犯，我应否献上我的长子﹖为了我灵魂的罪恶，我应否献上我亲生的儿子﹖」
6:8
人啊!已通知了你，什么是善，上主要求于你的是什么：无非就是履行正义，爱好慈善，虚心与你的天主来往。
撒玛黎雅难免受罚
6:9 听，上主向城邑的呼声：我必拯救敬畏我名的人。支派和城市的会众，静听：
6:10
我岂能忘掉恶人家中的不义之财，和那可诅咒的小「厄法？」
6:11
我岂能把用欺骗的天秤和囊中有假法码的人视为清廉﹖
6:12
城中的富人充满了强暴，其中的居民好说谎话，满口欺诈；
6:13
因此，我才开始打击你，为了你的罪恶使你荒凉。
6:14
你要吃，却吃不饱，腹中常感到空虚；你纵然能把宝藏搬走，却不能保全；既使你能保全，我也必要付之刀剑。
6:15
你要播种，却得不到收获；你要榨橄榄油，却得不到油抹身；你要榨葡萄酒，却得不到酒喝。
6:16
因为你遵守了敖默黎的法令，保存了阿哈布家的一切作风，遵循行了他们的主张；因此，我必要使你荒凉，使你的居民成为笑柄；你必要承担异民的侮辱。
第七章(20)
先知哀伤人民的腐化
7:1 我有祸了!因为我变成了一个夏季搜摘果实，采集残余葡萄的人，却没有一粒葡萄可吃，也没有我心所想望的早熟的无花果。
7:2
虔敬人从地上消逝了，人间竟没有一个正直人；人人都潜伏着要流人血，各以罗网猎取自己的弟兄。
7:3
他们的手善于作恶，官员贪求贿赂，法官勒索酬金，权贵只随自己的心愿发言，他们颠倒了一切。
7:4
他们中最好的人也不过相似荆棘，最正直的人也不过相似有刺的篱笆。你的守望者所宣布的惩罚之日已经到了；现在他们必要惊惶。
7:5
你们不要信赖邻里；不要依靠朋友，连对躺在你怀中的妻子，你也要坚守口舌，
7:6
因为儿子要侮辱自己的父亲，女儿要反抗自己的母亲，儿媳要违抗自己的婆母：人的仇敌就是自己的家人。
敌人的失败
7:7 至于我，我要仰望上主，寄望于拯救我的天主；天主必要俯听我。
7:8
我的仇敌!你不要因我遭难而高兴；我虽然跌倒，必再起来；我虽坐在黑暗中，但上主是我的光明。
7:9
因为我得罪了上主，我必须承担上主的义怒，直到他审判我的案件，为我主持公道，他必领我进入光明，我必能目睹他的正义。
7:10
我的仇敌见了，必要蒙受羞辱，因为他曾对我说：「上主你的天主在哪里﹖」我的眼必要看见他，有如街上的污泥被人践踏。
归国复兴
7:11 必有一天，要重建你的城垣；那一天，你的地界必要扩展；
7:12
那一天，从亚述到埃及，从提洛到幼发拉的河，从这海到那海，从这山到那山的人民，都要向你归来；
7:13
但其余的地域，必因其中居民行为的恶果，变为一片荒凉。
求主助佑
7:14 上主，求你拿你的牧杖牧放你的人民──独留在草莽中，在田园间，作你基业的羊群；让他们在巴商和基肋阿得获得豢养，一如昔日。
7:15
上主让我们一如在你出离埃及的时日内，见到奇迹；
7:16
让异民见了，感到自己一筹莫展，深自惭愧，用手掩口，双耳变聋。
7:17
他们将舔土如蛇，像上爬行的爬虫，战战兢兢地从他们的洞穴里爬出来，向你，上主我们的天主，表示尊敬敬畏。
求主饶恕
7:18 哪里有神相似你，赦免罪恶，宽宥他的基业──遗民的过错，不坚时愤怒于永远，反而喜爱仁慈﹖
7:19
你必再怜悯我们，将我们的邪恶踏于足下，将我们的一切罪过投入海底。
7:20
你必按照你昔日向我们祖先所发了的誓，对雅各伯表示忠信，对亚巴郎施行仁慈。
BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.
JB MICAH Chapter 1
1:1 The
word of Yahweh that was addressed to Micah of Moresheth
in the time of Jotham, Ahaz
and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. His visions of Samaria and
Jerusalem.
I. ISRAEL ON TRIAL
THREAT AND
CONDEMNATION
The judgement of Samaria[*a]
1:2 Listen, you
peoples, all of you. Attend, earth, and everything in it. Yahweh is going
to give evidence against you, the Lord, as he sets out from his sacred palace.
1:3 For
look, Yahweh sets out from his holy place, he comes down, he treads the heights
of earth.
1:4 The mountains
melt as he goes, the valleys are torn apart, like wax before the fire, like
water poured out on a steep place.
1:5 All
this is because of the crime of Jacob, the sin of the House of Israel. What is
the crime of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? What is the sin of the House of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
1:6 I mean to make Samaria a
ruin in the open country, a place where vines will be planted.
I will set her stones rolling
into the valley, I will lay her foundations bare.
1:7 All her images are going
to be shattered, all her earnings consumed by fire, all her idols broken in
pieces, for they have been collected with prostitutes' earnings and
prostitutes' earnings they will be again.
Lament for the
lowland Cities[*b]
1:8 This
why is why I am going to mourn and lament, go barefoot and naked, howl like the
jackals, wail like the ostriches.
1:9 For
there is no healing for the blow Yahweh strikes; it reaches into Judah, it
knocks at the very door of my people, reaches even into Jerusalem.
1:10 Do not announce it in
Gath,[*c] in... shed no
tears. In Beth-leaphrah roll in the
dust.
1:11 Sound the horn, you who
live in Shaphir. She has not left her city, she who
lives in Zaanan. Beth-ezel
is torn from its foundations, from its strong supports.
1:12 What
hope has she of happiness, she who lives in Maroth?
For doom has come down from Yahweh to the very gate of Jerusalem.
1:13 Harness the horse to the
chariot, you who live in Lachish. (This was the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion, for Israel's crimes were to be found in
you.)
1:14 So
you must provide a dowry for Moresheth-gath. Beth-achzib will prove a snare for the kings of Israel.
1:15 The
plunderer will come to you again, you who live in Mareshah
. . . to Adullam will go the glory of Israel.
1:16 Off
with your hair, shave your head, for the sons that were your joy. Make
yourselves bald like the vulture, for they have gone from you into exile.
JB MICAH Chapter 2
Against the tyranny
of the rich
2:1 Woe to those who plot
evil, who lie in bed planning mischief! No sooner is it dawn than they do it -
their hands have the strength for it.
2:2 Seizing the fields that
they covet, they take over houses as well, owner and house they confiscate
together, taking both man and inheritance.
2:3 So Yahweh says this: Now it
is I who plot such mischief against this breed as your necks will not escape;
nor will you be able to walk proudly, so evil will the time be.
2:4 On
that day they will make a satire on you, sing a dirge and say, 'We are stripped
of everything; my people's portion is measured out and shared, no one will give
it back to them, our fields are awarded to our despoiler'.
2:5 Therefore you will have no
one to measure out a share in the community of Yahweh.
The prophet of
misfortune
2:6 'Do not rave,' they rave
'do not rave like this. No shame is going to overtake us.
2:7 Can the House of Jacob be
accursed? Has Yahweh lost patience? Is that his way of going to work? Surely
his words are words of kindness for his people Israel?'
2:8 It
is you who play the enemy to my people. From the innocent man you snatch his
cloak on the man who thinks himself safe you inflict the damage of war.
2:9 The
women of my people you drive out from the homes they loved; their children you
rob for ever of the honour I gave them,
2:10 'Get up! Be off! There is
no resting here.' For a worthless thing, you exact an extortionate pledge.
2:11 Were
there a man of inspiration who would invent this lie, 'I prophesy you wine and
strong drink', he would be the prophet for a people like this.
Promises of
restoration
2:12 Yes, I am going to gather
all Jacob together, I will gather the remnant of Israel, bring them together
like sheep in the fold; like a flock in its pasture they will fear no man.
2:13 He who walks at their
head will lead the way in front of them; he will walk at their head, they will
pass through the gate and go out by it; their king will go on in front of them,
Yahweh at their head.
JB MICAH Chapter 3
Against the rulers
who oppress the people
3:1 Then I said: Listen now,
you princes of the House of Jacob, rulers of the House of Israel. Are you not
the ones who should know what is right,
3:2 you, enemies of
good and friends of evil?
3:3 When
they have devoured the flesh of my people and torn off their skin and crushed
their bones; when they have shredded them like flesh in a pot and like meat in
a cauldron,
3:4 then they will cry out to Yahweh.
But he will not answer them. He will hide his face at that time because of all
the crimes they have committed.
Against venal
prophets
3:5 Yahweh says this against
the prophets who lead my people astray: So long as they have something to eat
they cry 'Peace'. But on anyone who puts nothing into their mouths they declare
war.
3:6 And
so the night will come to you: an end of vision; darkness for you: an end of
divination. The sun will set for the prophets, the day
will go black for them.
3:7 Then
the seers will be covered with shame, the diviners with confusion; they will
all cover their lips, because no answer comes from God.
3:8 Not so with me,
I am full of strength (of the breath of Yahweh), of justice and courage to
declare Jacob's crime to his face and Israel's to his.
To the guilty ones: prophecy
of the ruin of Zion
3:9 Now
listen to this, you princes of the House of Jacob, rulers of the House of
Israel, you who loathe justice and pervert all that is right,
3:10 you who build Zion with
blood, Jerusalem with crime.
3:11 Her
princes pronounce their verdict for bribes, her priests take a fee for their
rulings, her prophets make divinations for money. And yet they rely on Yahweh.
They say, 'Is not Yahweh in our midst? No evil is going to overtake us.'
3:12 Because of this, since
the fault is yours, Zion will become ploughland,
Jerusalem a heap of rubble, and the mountain of the Temple a wooded height.
JB MICAH Chapter 4
II. PROMISES TO
ZION
The future reign of
Yahweh in Zion[*a]
4:1 The mountain
of the Temple of Yahweh will be put on top of the mountains and be lifted
higher than the hills. The peoples will stream to it,
4:2 nations without number
will come to it; and they will say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of
Yahweh, to the Temple of the God of Jacob so that he may teach us his ways and
we may walk in his paths; since from Zion the Law will go out, and the oracle
of Yahweh from Jerusalem.'
4:3 He will wield authority
over many peoples and arbitrate for mighty nations; they will hammer their
swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword
against nation, there will be no more training for war.
4:4 Each
man will sit under his vine and his fig tree, with no one to trouble him. The
mouth of Yahweh Sabaoth has spoken it.
4:5 For
all the peoples go forward, each in the name of its god; but we, we go forward
in the name of Yahweh, our God, for ever and evermore.
The gathering of
the scattered flock in Zion
4:6 That
day - it is Yahweh who speaks - I will finally gather in the lame, and bring
together those that have been led astray and those that have suffered at my
hand.
4:7 Out of the lame I will
make a remnant, and out of the weary a mighty nation. Then will Yahweh reign
over them on the mountain of Zion from now and for ever.
4:8 And you, Tower of the
Flock, Ophel of the daughter of Zion,[*b] to you shall be given back your former sovereignty,
and royal power over the House of Israel.
The siege, exile,
and liberation of Zion
4:9 Why
are you crying aloud? Is there no king within you? Are your counsellors
lost that pains should grip you like a woman in labour?
4:10 Writhe, cry out, daughter
of Zion, like a woman in labour, for now you have to
leave the city and live in the open country. To Babylon you must go and there
you will be rescued; there Yahweh will ransom you out of the power of your
enemies.
The pagans crushed
on the threshing-floor in Zion
4:11 Now
many nations are mustered against you. 'Let her be desecrated,' they say 'let
our eyes feast on the ruins of Zion.'
4:12 But they do not know
Yahweh's thoughts, they have failed to understand his purpose, he has collected
them like sheaves on the threshing floor.
4:13 Up, daughter of Zion, and
thresh; for I will give you horns of iron, hoofs of bronze, for you to trample
down many peoples. You will dedicate their plunder to Yahweh, their treasures
to the Lord of the whole earth.
The distress and
glory of the Davidic dynasty
4:14 Now
look to your fortifications, Fortress. They have laid siege against us; with a
rod they strike on the cheek the judge of Israel.
JB MICAH Chapter 5
5:1 But
you, (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least of the clans of
Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his
origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old.
5:2 Yahweh is therefore going
to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth[*a]
gives birth. Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of
Israel.
5:3 He will stand and feed his
flock with the power of Yahweh, with the majesty of the name of his God. They
will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the
land.
5:4a He himself will be peace.
5:5b He will deliver us from
Assyria should it invade our country, should it set foot inside our frontiers.
The confidence of
the people of Judah
5:4b As for Assyria, should it
invade our country, should it set foot on our soil, we will raise seven
shepherds against it, eight leaders of men;
5:5a they will shepherd
Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the sword blade.
The future role of
the remnant among the nations
5:6 Then
among the many peoples, the remnant of Jacob will be like a dew from Yahweh,
like raindrops on the grass, putting no hope in men, expecting nothing from
mankind.
5:7 Then
among the many peoples, the remnant of Jacob will be like a lion among beasts
of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep trampling as he goes, mangling
his prey which no one takes from him.
Yahweh will
withdraw the temptation to rely on men
5:8 Let
your hand be raised against your foes and all your enemies shall be cut off.
5:9 This
is how it will be, that day - it is Yahweh who speaks - I will tear away your
horses from you, and destroy your chariots;
5:10 tear the towns of your
country from you, bring down all your strongholds;
5:11 tear the charms from your
hands, and you will have no more soothsayers;
5:12a tear from you your
images and your pillars;
5:13 tear from you your sacred
poles, and demolish your idols;
5:12b and no longer will you
bow down before the work of your hands.
5:14 I will take revenge in
anger and fury on the nations that would not obey.
JB MICAH Chapter 6
III. ISRAEL ON TRIAL
DENUNCIATION AND
THREAT
Yahweh puts his
people on trial
6:1 Now
listen to what Yahweh is saying: Stand up and let the case begin in the hearing
of the mountains and let the hills hear what you say.
6:2 Listen, you mountains, to
Yahweh's accusation, give ear, you foundations of the
earth, for Yahweh is accusing his people, pleading against Israel:
6:3 My
people, what have I done to you, how have I been a burden to you? Answer me.
6:4 I brought you out of the
land of Egypt, I rescued you from the house of slavery; I sent Moses to lead
you, with Aaron and Miriam.
6:5 My
people, remember: what did Balak plot, that king of
Moab? What did Balaam answer, that son of Beor?
....................................................................... from Shittim to Gilgal, for you to know the rightness of the ways of
Yahweh.
6:6 - 'With what
gift shall I come into Yahweh's presence and bow down before God on high? Shall I come with
holocausts, with calves one year old?
6:7 Will he be pleased with
rams by the thousand, with libations of oil in torrents? Must I give my
first-born for what I have done wrong, the fruit of my body for my own sin?'
6:8 - What is good has been
explained to you, man; this is what Yahweh asks of you: only this, to act
justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.
Against tricksters
in the city
6:9 The
voice of Yahweh. He is calling to the city: Listen, tribe, and assembly of the
city
6:12 whose rich men are crammed
with violence, whose citizens are liars.
6:10 Must I put up with
fraudulent measure, or that abomination the short-weight bushel?
6:11 Must I hold the man
honest who measures with false scales and a bag of faked weights?
6:13 I have therefore begun to
strike you down, to bring you to ruin for your sins.
6:15 You will sow but never
reap, press the olive but never rub yourself with oil, press the grape but
never drink wine from it;
6:14 you will eat but never be
satisfied, store away but never preserve - and what is preserved I shall give
to the sword.
The example of
Samaria
6:16 You keep the laws of Omri and follow all the practices of the House of Ahab;[*a] you are guided by their standards, and they force me
to make a terrible example of you, and to turn your inhabitants into a
laughing-stock, to suffer the scorn of the peoples.
JB MICAH Chapter 7
Universal injustice
7:1 I am in trouble! I have
become like a harvester in summer time, like a gleaner at the vintage: not a
single cluster to eat, not one of the early figs I so long for.
7:2 The
devout have vanished from the land: there is not one honest man left. All are
lurking for blood, every man hunting down his brother.
7:3 Their
hands are skilled in evil: the official demands..., the judge gives judgement for a bribe, the man in power pronounces as he
pleases.
7:5 Put no trust in a neighbour, have no confidence in a friend; to the woman who
shares your bed do not open your mouth.
7:6 For
son insults father, daughter defies mother, daughter-in-law defies
mother-in-law; a man's enemies are those of his own household.
7:4 ... among them, the best
is like a briar, the most honest a hedge of thorn. Today will come their ordeal
from the North, now is the time for their confusion.
7:7 For my part, I look to Yahweh,
my hope is in the God who will save me; my God will hear me.[*a]
IV. HOPE FOR THE
FUTURE
Zion insulted by
her enemy
7:8 Do
not gloat over me, my enemy: though I have fallen, I shall rise; though I live
in darkness, Yahweh is my light.
7:9 I must suffer the anger of
Yahweh, for I have sinned against him, until he takes up my cause and rights my
wrongs; he will bring me out into the light and I shall rejoice to see the
rightness of his ways.
7:10 When my enemy sees it,
she will be covered with shame, she who said to me, 'Where is Yahweh your God?'
My eyes will gloat over her; she will be trampled underfoot like mud in the
streets.
An oracle of
restoration
7:11 The
day is coming for rebuilding your walls. Your frontiers will be extended that
day,
7:12 men will come to you that
day from Assyria as far as to Egypt, from Tyre as far
as to the river, from sea to sea, from mountain to mountain.
7:13 The
earth will become a desert by reason of its inhabitants, in return for what
they have done.
A prayer for the
confusion of the pagans
7:14 With
shepherd's crook lead your people to pasture, the flock that is your heritage,
living confined in a forest with meadow land all around. Let them pasture in
Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.
7:15 As
in the days when you came out of Egypt grant us to see wonders.
7:16 The
pagans, seeing it, will be confounded for all their power; they will lay their
hands to their mouths, their ears will be deafened by it.
7:17 They
will lick the dust like serpents, like things that crawl on the earth. They
will come trembling from their lairs, in terror and fear before you.
A plea for God's
forgiveness
7:18 What
god can compare with you: taking fault away, pardoning crime, not cherishing
anger for ever but delighting in showing mercy?
7:19 Once more have pity on
us, tread down our faults, to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
7:20 Grant Jacob your
faithfulness, and Abraham your mercy, as you swore to our fathers from the days
of long ago.
END OF JB
MICAH [7 Chapters].