1Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand. (Ps 36:4; Isa 10:1)2They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance. (Isa 5:8)3Therefore thus says the Lord: behold, against this family I am devising disaster,[1] from which you cannot remove your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be a time of disaster. (Isa 2:11; Isa 2:17; Jer 8:3; Am 3:1; Am 5:13)4In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined; he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields.” (Nu 23:7; Ps 68:6; Mic 1:15; Hab 2:6)5Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot in the assembly of the Lord. (De 32:8; Jos 14:1)6“Do not preach”—thus they preach— “one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us.” (Am 2:12; Am 8:10; Am 8:11)7Should this be said, O house of Jacob? Has the Lord grown impatient?[2] Are these his deeds? Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly? (Mic 2:6)8But lately my people have risen up as an enemy; you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.[3] (2Ch 28:8)9The women of my people you drive out from their delightful houses; from their young children you take away my splendor forever.10Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction. (Le 18:25; De 12:9; Mic 1:11; Mic 1:16; Heb 13:14)11If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people! (Jer 5:13; Am 2:12)12I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men. (2Ki 25:11; Jer 31:10; Mic 4:7)13He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the Lord at their head. (2Ki 25:10; Isa 52:12; Mic 4:10)
Micah 2
New International Version
Human plans and God’s plans
1Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.2They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance.3Therefore, the Lord says: ‘I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.4In that day people will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: “We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.” ’5Therefore you will have no-one in the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by lot.
False prophets
6‘Do not prophesy,’ their prophets say. ‘Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us.’7You descendants of Jacob, should it be said, ‘Does the Lord become[1] impatient? Does he do such things?’ ‘Do not my words do good to the one whose ways are upright?8Lately 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.9You drive the women of my people from their pleasant homes. You take away my blessing from their children for ever.10Get up, go away! For this is not your resting-place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy.11If a liar and deceiver comes and says, “I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,” that would be just the prophet for this people!
Deliverance promised
12‘I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a sheepfold, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people.13The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.’
Micah 2
King James Version
1Woe 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.2And 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.3Therefore 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.4In 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.5Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD.6Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.7O 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?8Even 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.9The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.10Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you , even with a sore destruction.11If 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.12I 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.13The 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.
Micah 2
New International Reader’s Version
People’s plans and God’s plans
1How terrible it will be for those who plan to harm others! How terrible for those who make evil plans before they even get out of bed! As soon as daylight comes, they carry out their plans. That’s because they have the power to do it.2If they want fields or houses, they take them. They cheat people out of their homes. They rob them of their property.3So the LORD says to them, ‘I am planning to send trouble on you. You will not be able to save yourselves from it. You will not live so proudly anymore. It will be a time of trouble.4At that time people will make fun of you. They will tease you by singing a song of sadness. They will pretend to be you and say, “We are totally destroyed. Our enemies have divided up our land. The LORD has taken it away from us! He has given our fields to those who turned against us.” ’5So you won’t even have anyone left in the LORD’s community who can divide up the land for you.
Some prophets aren’t really prophets at all
6‘Don’t prophesy,’ the people’s prophets say. ‘Don’t prophesy about bad things. Nothing shameful is going to happen to us.’7People of Jacob, should anyone say, ‘The LORD is patient, so he wouldn’t do things like that’? The LORD replies, ‘What I promise brings good things to those who lead honest lives.8But lately my people have attacked one another as if they were enemies. You strip off the rich robes from those who happen to pass by. They thought they were as safe as men returning from a battle they had won.9You drive the women among my people out of their pleasant homes. You take away my blessing from their children for ever.10Get up! Leave this land! It is no longer your resting place. You have made it “unclean”. You have completely destroyed it.11Suppose a prophet goes around telling lies. And he prophesies that you will have plenty of wine and beer. Then that kind of prophet would be just right for this nation!
The Lord promises to save his people
12‘People of Jacob, I will gather all of you. I will bring together you who are still left alive in Israel. I will gather you together like sheep in a pen. You will be like a flock in its grasslands. Your country will be filled with people.13I will open the way for you to return. I will march in front of you. You will break through the city gates and go free. I am your King. I will pass through the gates in front of you. I, the LORD, will lead the way.’