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The Future Reign of God

“But in the last days it will come about
    that the Temple Mount of the Lord will be firmly set
        as the leading mountain.
It will be exalted above its surrounding[a] hills,
    and people will stream toward it.
Many nations will approach and say,
    ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
        and to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
    He will teach us about his ways,
        and we will walk according to his directions.’
“Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion,
    and the message of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he will judge among many people,
    rebuking strong nations far away;
and they will reshape their swords as plowshares
    and their spears as pruning hooks.
No nation will threaten another,[b]
    nor will they train for war anymore.
Instead, each man will sit in the shade of[c] his grape vines
    and beneath the shade of[d] his fig tree,”
        since the[e] Lord of the Heavenly Armies has spoken.
“Because all of the people will walk,
    each person in the name of his God,
        and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

“At that time,” declares the Lord,
    “I will assemble the lame;
and I will gather those whom I have scattered,
    along with those whom I have afflicted.
I will transform the lame into survivors,
    and those who were scattered into a strong nation;
and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion,
    now and forever.”

Zion’s Captivity

“And you, watchtower of the flock,
    you stronghold of the daughter of Zion,
it will happen even to you:
        The former dominion, even the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem, will come.
Why are you crying so loud now?
    There’s no king among you, is there?
Perhaps your advisor has died?
    For pain has overtaken you like a woman in labor.
10 Be in pain! Be in labor, you daughter of Zion,
    like a woman about to give birth,
because now you will depart from the city,
    living in the open fields.
To Babylon you will go.
    There you will be delivered,
        there the Lord will rescue you from the power[f] of your enemies.”

The Nations Despise Zion

11 “Now many nations have gathered against you, saying,
    ‘Let her be defiled,’ and
        ‘Let’s look down on Zion.’
12 But they don’t know the thoughts of the Lord,
    and they don’t understand his tactics,
        for he will gather them like harvested grain to his threshing floor.
13 Get up and smash[g] them to pieces, daughter of Zion,
    because I will make your horn like iron
        and your hooves like bronze!
And you will beat many people to pieces,
    and I will consecrate their dishonest[h] gain to the Lord
        and their assets to the Lord of the entire earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:1 The Heb. lacks surrounding
  2. Micah 4:3 Lit. A nation will not lift up a sword against a nation
  3. Micah 4:4 Lit. sit under
  4. Micah 4:4 The Heb. lacks the shade of
  5. Micah 4:4 Lit. the mouth of the
  6. Micah 4:10 Lit. hand
  7. Micah 4:13 Lit. thresh
  8. Micah 4:13 The Heb. lacks dishonest

The Mountain of the Lord(A)

In the last days

the mountain(B) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,(C)
    and peoples will stream to it.(D)

Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(E)
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.(F)
He will teach us(G) his ways,(H)
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(I) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.(J)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(K)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war(L) anymore.(M)
Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,(N)
and no one will make them afraid,(O)
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.(P)
All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,(Q)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.(R)

The Lord’s Plan

“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will gather the lame;(S)
    I will assemble the exiles(T)
    and those I have brought to grief.(U)
I will make the lame my remnant,(V)
    those driven away a strong nation.(W)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion(X)
    from that day and forever.(Y)
As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored(Z) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.(AA)

Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king[b](AB)?
Has your ruler[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?(AC)
10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
    to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;(AD)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem(AE) you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

11 But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat(AF) over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,(AG)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh,(AH) Daughter Zion,
    for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
    and you will break to pieces many nations.”(AI)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,(AJ)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:8 Or hill
  2. Micah 4:9 Or King
  3. Micah 4:9 Or Ruler