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A Future Kingdom of Peace

In the last days, the mountain of the House of the Lord
        will be established as the highest among the mountains.[a]

    It will be raised above the hills,
    and peoples will stream to it like a river.
Many nations will come and say,
    “Come, let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob.
    He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.”
    The law[b] will go out from Zion
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will render judgment between many peoples.
    He will settle disputes between mighty nations from far away.
    They will pound their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into blades for trimming vines.
    Nation will not raise the sword against nation,
    and they will not learn how to wage war any longer.
Each man will sit under his own vine
    and under his own fig tree.
    There will be no one to make them afraid,
    for the mouth of the Lord of Armies has spoken.
For all the other peoples walk in the names of their gods,
    but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

Gathering the Scattered People

On that day, says the Lord,
    I will bring in the lame
    and gather the scattered,
    even those I have afflicted.
I will establish the lame as survivors
    and the scattered as a powerful nation.
    The Lord will rule over them on Mount Zion
        from that time on and forever.

But for you, watchtower of the flock,
    for you, stronghold of the Daughter of Zion,
    for you, the power to rule, which you had before, will come again.
    The kingship will return to the Daughter of Jerusalem.
But now, why are you shouting so loudly?
    Is it because you have no king among you?
    Has the one who guided you perished,
    so that pain now has gripped you like a woman giving birth?
10 Writhe and scream, Daughter of Zion,
    like a woman giving birth, since now you must leave the city,
    and you will seek shelter in the fields.
    You will go to Babylon.
    There you will be rescued.
    There the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.

11 But now many nations have banded together against you.
    They say, “Let her be degraded! Let our eyes gloat over Zion!”
12 But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord,
    and they do not understand his plans,
    namely, that he will gather them together like bundles of grain on the threshing floor.
13 Rise up and thresh, Daughter of Zion,
    for I will turn your horns into iron,
    and I will make your hoofs bronze,
    and you will crush many peoples.
    You will dedicate what they have gained to the Lord,
    and their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:1 Micah 4:1-3 is a close parallel to Isaiah 2:2-4. The two passages were translated independently, and the parallel translations retain some of the insights of each translator.
  2. Micah 4:2 The term law here refers to the whole word of God.

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