Micah 2

¹Woe to those who devise iniquity

and work evil on their beds!

When the morning is light, they practice it,

because it is in the power of their hand.

²They covet fields and seize them,

and houses, then take them away.

They oppress a man and his house,

even a man and his heritage.

³Therefore the LORD says:

“Behold, I am planning against these people a disaster,

from which you will not remove your necks,

neither will you walk haughtily,

for it is an evil time.

⁴In that day they will take up a parable against you,

and lament with a doleful lamentation, saying,

‘We are utterly ruined!

My people’s possession is divided up.

Indeed he takes it from me and assigns our fields to traitors!’ ”

⁵Therefore you will have no one who divides the land by lot in the LORD’s assembly.

⁶“Don’t prophesy!”—they prophesy—

“Don’t prophesy about these things.

Disgrace won’t overtake us.”

⁷Shall it be said, O house of Jacob,

“Is the LORD’s Spirit angry?

Are these his doings?

Don’t my words do good to him who walks blamelessly?”

⁸But lately my people have risen up as an enemy.

You strip the robe and clothing from those who pass by without a care, returning from battle.

⁹You drive the women of my people out from their pleasant houses;

from their young children you take away my blessing forever.

¹⁰Arise, and depart!

For this is not your resting place,

because of uncleanness that destroys,

even with a grievous destruction.

¹¹If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies, saying,

“I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink,”

he would be the prophet of this people.

¹²I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob.

I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.

I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah,

as a flock in the middle of their pasture.

They will swarm with people.

¹³He who breaks open the way goes up before them.

They break through the gate, and go out.

Their king passes on before them,

with the LORD at their head.