MICAH

Micah 2 ©

Woe, cruel bondage and banishment out of the land of Canaan, pronounced upon the violent oppressors, thieves and robbers among the people, vss. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10. A lamentation upon the division of their land by the enemy, 4. God sharply reproves His peoples’ loathing of the reproofs of His prophets and their senseless delight in the false adulating prophets, 6, 11. A prophecy of the gathering and restoration of the church by their King Christ, 12, 13.

1

WOE to them that devise iniquity, and 1work evil upon their 2beds! when 3the morning is light, they practise it, because it is 4in the power of their hand.

2

And they 5coveta fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a 6man and his 7house, even a 8man and his 9heritage.

3

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an 10evil, from which 11ye shall not remove your 12necks; neither shall ye go 13haughtily: for this time is 14evil.b

4

¶In that day shall 15one take up a 16parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be 17utterly spoiled: 18he hath changed the 19portion of my people: 20how hath he removed it from me! 21turning away he hath divided our fields.

5

22Therefore 23thou shalt have none that shall castc a cord 24by lot in the congregation of the LORD.

6

2526Prophesy ye not, sayd they to them 27that prophesy: 28they shall not prophesy to 29them, that they 30shall not take 31shame.

7

¶O thou that art 32named the house of Jacob, is the 33spirit of the LORD 34straitened? are these 35his doings? do not 36my words do good to him that walketh 37uprightly?

8

38Even 39of late my people is risen up as an 40enemy: 41ye pull off the 42robe 43with the garment from them that pass by 44securely as men 45averse from war.

9

The women of my people have ye cast out from their 46pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away 47my glory 48for ever.

10

Arise ye, and 49depart; for 50this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a 51sore destruction.

11

If a man 52walking in the 53spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will 54prophesy unto thee of 55wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the 56prophet of this people.

12

¶I will 57surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of 58Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their 59fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

13

The breaker 60is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their 61king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the 62head of them.