Woe to Oppressors
2 Woe to those who (A)scheme iniquity,
Who work out evil on their beds!
[a](B)When morning comes, they do it,
For it is in the (C)power of their hands.
2 They (D)covet fields and then (E)seize them,
And houses, and take them away.
They [b](F)rob a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says the Lord,
“Behold, I am (G)planning against this (H)family a calamity
From which you (I)cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk (J)haughtily,
For it will be an (K)evil time.
4 “On that day they will (L)take up against you a [c]taunt
And [d](M)utter a bitter lamentation and say,
‘We are completely (N)destroyed!
He exchanges the portion of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the apostate He (O)apportions our fields.’
5 “Therefore you will have no one [e](P)stretching a measuring line
For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord.
6 ‘(Q)Do not [f]speak out,’ so they [g]speak out.
But if [h]they do (R)not [i]speak out concerning these things,
(S)Reproaches will not be turned back.
7 “Is it being said, O house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord (T)impatient?
Are these His doings?’
Do not My words (U)do good
To the one (V)walking uprightly?
8 “[j]Recently My people have arisen as an (W)enemy—
You (X)strip the [k]robe off the garment
From (Y)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 “The women of My people you (Z)evict,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My (AA)splendor forever.
10 “Arise and go,
For this is no place (AB)of rest
Because of the (AC)uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 “If a man walking after wind and (AD)falsehood
Had told lies and said,
‘I will [l]speak out to you concerning (AE)wine and liquor,’
He would be [m]spokesman to (AF)this people.
12 “I will surely (AG)assemble all of you, Jacob,
I will surely gather the (AH)remnant of Israel.
I will put them together like sheep in the fold;
Like a flock in the midst of its pasture
They will be noisy with men.
13 “The breaker goes up before them;
They break out, pass through the gate and go out by it.
So their king goes on before them,
And the Lord at their head.”
Footnotes
- Micah 2:1 Lit In the light of the morning
- Micah 2:2 Lit oppress
- Micah 2:4 Or proverb
- Micah 2:4 Lit lament
- Micah 2:5 Lit casting
- Micah 2:6 Lit flow
- Micah 2:6 Lit flow
- Micah 2:6 I.e. God’s prophets
- Micah 2:6 Lit flow
- Micah 2:8 Lit And yesterday
- Micah 2:8 Or ornaments
- Micah 2:11 Lit flow
- Micah 2:11 Lit one who flows oracles
Cross references
- Micah 2:1 : Ps 36:4; Is 32:7; Nah 1:11
- Micah 2:1 : Hos 7:6, 7
- Micah 2:1 : Gen 31:29; Deut 28:32; Prov 3:27
- Micah 2:2 : Jer 22:17; Amos 8:4
- Micah 2:2 : Is 5:8
- Micah 2:2 : 1 Kin 21:1-15
- Micah 2:3 : Deut 28:48; Jer 18:11
- Micah 2:3 : Jer 8:3; Amos 3:1, 2
- Micah 2:3 : Lam 1:14; 5:5
- Micah 2:3 : Is 2:11, 12
- Micah 2:3 : Amos 5:13
- Micah 2:4 : Hab 2:6
- Micah 2:4 : Jer 9:10, 17-21; Mic 1:8
- Micah 2:4 : Is 6:11; 24:3; Jer 4:13
- Micah 2:4 : Jer 6:12; 8:10
- Micah 2:5 : Num 34:13, 16-29; Deut 32:8; Josh 18:4, 10
- Micah 2:6 : Is 30:10; Amos 2:12; 7:16
- Micah 2:6 : Is 29:10; Mic 3:6
- Micah 2:6 : Mic 6:16
- Micah 2:7 : Is 50:2; 59:1
- Micah 2:7 : Ps 119:65, 68, 116; Jer 15:16
- Micah 2:7 : Ps 15:2; 84:11
- Micah 2:8 : Jer 12:8
- Micah 2:8 : Mic 3:2, 3; 7:2, 3
- Micah 2:8 : Ps 120:6, 7
- Micah 2:9 : Jer 10:20
- Micah 2:9 : Ezek 39:21; Hab 2:14
- Micah 2:10 : Deut 12:9
- Micah 2:10 : Ps 106:38
- Micah 2:11 : Jer 5:31
- Micah 2:11 : Is 28:7
- Micah 2:11 : Is 30:10, 11
- Micah 2:12 : Mic 4:6, 7
- Micah 2:12 : Mic 5:7, 8; 7:18