The Message (MSG)

1 God’s Message as it came to Micah of Moresheth. It came during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. It had to do with what was going on in Samaria and Jerusalem.

God Takes the Witness Stand

2 Listen, people—all of you.

Listen, earth, and everyone in it:

The Master,God, takes the witness stand against you,

the Master from his Holy Temple.

3-5 Look, here he comes!God, from his place!

He comes down and strides across mountains and hills.

Mountains sink under his feet,

valleys split apart;

The rock mountains crumble into gravel,

the river valleys leak like sieves.

All this because of Jacob’s sin,

because Israel’s family did wrong.

You ask, “So what is Jacob’s sin?”

Just look at Samaria—isn’t it obvious?

And all the sex-and-religion shrines in Judah—

isn’t Jerusalem responsible?

6-7 “I’m turning Samaria into a heap of rubble,

a vacant lot littered with garbage.

I’ll dump the stones from her buildings in the valley

and leave her abandoned foundations exposed.

All her carved and cast gods and goddesses

will be sold for stove wood and scrap metal,

All her sacred fertility groves

burned to the ground,

All the sticks and stones she worshiped as gods,

destroyed.

These were her earnings from her life as a whore.

This is what happens to the fees of a whore.”

8-9 This is why I lament and mourn.

This is why I go around in rags and barefoot.

This is why I howl like a pack of coyotes,

and moan like a mournful owl in the night.

Godhas inflicted punishing wounds;

Judah has been wounded with no healing in sight.

Judgment has marched through the city gates.

Jerusalem must face the charges.

10-16 Don’t gossip about this in Telltown.

Don’t waste your tears.

In Dustville,

roll in the dust.

In Alarmtown,

the alarm is sounded.

The citizens of Exitburgh

will never get out alive.

Lament, Last-Stand City:

There’s nothing in you left standing.

The villagers of Bittertown

wait in vain for sweet peace.

Harsh judgment has come fromGod

and entered Peace City.

All you who live in Chariotville,

get in your chariots for flight.

You led the daughter of Zion

into trusting not God but chariots.

Similar sins in Israel

also got their start in you.

Go ahead and give your good-bye gifts

to Good-byeville.

Miragetown beckoned

but disappointed Israel’s kings.

Inheritance City

has lost its inheritance.

Glorytown

has seen its last of glory.

Shave your heads in mourning

over the loss of your precious towns.

Go bald as a goose egg—they’ve gone

into exile and aren’t coming back.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/MIC/1-ce0c56ee39d72263198440fe6d34bf4d.mp3?version_id=97—

God Has Had Enough

1-5 Doom to those who plot evil,

who go to bed dreaming up crimes!

As soon as it’s morning,

they’re off, full of energy, doing what they’ve planned.

They covet fields and grab them,

find homes and take them.

They bully the neighbor and his family,

see people only for what they can get out of them.

Godhas had enough. He says,

“I have some plans of my own:

Disaster because of this interbreeding evil!

Your necks are on the line.

You’re not walking away from this.

It’s doomsday for you.

Mocking ballads will be sung of you,

and you yourselves will sing the blues:

‘Our lives are ruined,

our homes and lands auctioned off.

They take everything, leave us nothing!

All is sold to the highest bidder.’”

And there’ll be no one to stand up for you,

no one to speak for you beforeGodand his jury.

6-7 “Don’t preach,” say the preachers.

“Don’t preach such stuff.

Nothing bad will happen to us.

Talk likethisto the family of Jacob?

DoesGodlose his temper?

Is this the way he acts?

Isn’t he on the side of good people?

Doesn’t he help those who help themselves?”

8-11 “What do you mean, ‘good people’!

You’re the enemy of my people!

You rob unsuspecting people

out for an evening stroll.

You take their coats off their backs

like soldiers who plunder the defenseless.

You drive the women of my people

out of their ample homes.

You make victims of the children

and leave them vulnerable to violence and vice.

Get out of here, the lot of you.

You can’t take it easy here!

You’ve polluted this place,

and nowyou’repolluted—ruined!

If someone showed up with a good smile and glib tongue

and told lies from morning to night—

‘I’ll preach sermons that will tell you

how you can get anything you want from God:

More money, the best wines . . . you name it’—

you’d hire him on the spot as your preacher!

12-13 “I’m calling a meeting, Jacob.

I want everyone back—all the survivors of Israel.

I’ll get them together in one place—

like sheep in a fold, like cattle in a corral—

a milling throng of homebound people!

Then I,God, will burst all confinements

and lead them out into the open.

They’ll follow their King.

I will be out in front leading them.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/MIC/2-a559d235edacad5f042278a4ea004c1c.mp3?version_id=97—

Haters of Good, Lovers of Evil

1-3 Then I said:

“Listen, leaders of Jacob, leaders of Israel:

Don’t you know anything of justice?

Haters of good, lovers of evil:

Isn’t justice in your job description?

But you skin my people alive.

You rip the meat off their bones.

You break up the bones, chop the meat,

and throw it in a pot for cannibal stew.”

4 The time’s coming, though, when these same leaders

will cry out for help toGod, but he won’t listen.

He’ll turn his face the other way

because of their history of evil.

5-7 Here isGod’s Message to the prophets,

the preachers who lie to my people:

“For as long as they’re well paid and well fed,

the prophets preach, ‘Isn’t life wonderful! Peace to all!’

But if you don’t pay up and jump on their bandwagon,

their ‘God bless you’ turns into ‘God damn you.’

Therefore, you’re going blind. You’ll see nothing.

You’ll live in deep shadows and know nothing.

The sun has set on the prophets.

They’ve had their day; from now on it’s night.

Visionaries will be confused,

experts will be all mixed up.

They’ll hide behind their reputations and make lame excuses

to cover up their God-ignorance.”

8 But me—I’m filled withGod’s power,

filled withGod’s Spirit of justice and strength,

Ready to confront Jacob’s crime

and Israel’s sin.

9-12 The leaders of Jacob and

the leaders of Israel are

Leaders contemptuous of justice,

who twist and distort right living,

Leaders who build Zion by killing people,

who expand Jerusalem by committing crimes.

Judges sell verdicts to the highest bidder,

priests mass-market their teaching,

prophets preach for high fees,

All the while posturing and pretending

dependence onGod:

“We’ve gotGodon our side.

He’ll protect us from disaster.”

Because of people like you,

Zion will be turned back into farmland,

Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble,

and instead of the Temple on the mountain,

a few scraggly scrub pines.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/MIC/3-9c3ca4639219a9d1453efe2457747e27.mp3?version_id=97—

The Making of God’s People

1-4 But when all is said and done,

God’s Temple on the mountain,

Firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains,

towering above surrounding hills.

People will stream to it

and many nations set out for it,

Saying, “Come, let’s climbGod’s mountain.

Let’s go to the Temple of Jacob’s God.

He will teach us how to live.

We’ll know how to live God’s way.”

True teaching will issue from Zion,

God’s revelation from Jerusalem.

He’ll establish justice in the rabble of nations

and settle disputes in faraway places.

They’ll trade in their swords for shovels,

their spears for rakes and hoes.

Nations will quit fighting each other,

quit learning how to kill one another.

Each man will sit under his own shade tree,

each woman in safety will tend her own garden.

God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so,

and he means what he says.

5 Meanwhile, all the other people live however they wish,

picking and choosing their gods.

But we live honoringGod,

and we’re loyal to our God forever and ever.

6-7 “On that great day,”Godsays,

“I will round up all the hurt and homeless,

everyone I have bruised or banished.

I will transform the battered into a company of the elite.

I will make a strong nation out of the long lost,

A showcase exhibit ofGod’s rule in action,

as I rule from Mount Zion, from here to eternity.

8 “And you stragglers around Jerusalem,

eking out a living in shantytowns:

The glory that once was will be again.

Jerusalem’s daughter will be the kingdom center.”

9-10 So why the doomsday hysterics?

You still have a king, don’t you?

But maybe he’s not doing his job

and you’re panicked like a woman in labor.

Well, go ahead—twist and scream, Daughter Jerusalem.

Youarelike a woman in childbirth.

You’ll soon be out of the city, on your way

and camping in the open country.

And then you’ll arrive in Babylon.

What you lost in Jerusalem will be found in Babylon.

Godwill give you new life again.

He’ll redeem you from your enemies.

11-12 But for right now, they’re ganged up against you,

many godless peoples, saying,

“Kick her when she’s down! Violate her!

We want to see Zion grovel in the dirt.”

These blasphemers have no idea

whatGodis thinking and doing in this.

They don’t know that this is the making ofGod’s people,

that they are wheat being threshed, gold being refined.

13 On your feet, Daughter of Zion! Be threshed of chaff,

be refined of dross.

I’m remaking you into a people invincible,

into God’s juggernaut to crush the godless peoples.

You’ll bring their plunder as holy offerings toGod,

their wealth to the Master of the earth.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/MIC/4-26373cfd9ad919b61fa5b44ce2fabb16.mp3?version_id=97—

The Leader Who Will Shepherd-Rule Israel

1 But for now, prepare for the worst, victim daughter!

The siege is set against us.

They humiliate Israel’s king,

slapping him around like a rag doll.

2-4 But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,

the runt of the litter—

From you will come the leader

who will shepherd-rule Israel.

He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.

His family tree is ancient and distinguished.

Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes

until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,

And the scattered brothers come back

home to the family of Israel.

He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule byGod’s strength,

centered in the majesty ofGod-Revealed.

And the people will have a good and safe home,

for the whole world will hold him in respect—

Peacemaker of the world!

5-6 And if some bullying Assyrian shows up,

invades and violates our land, don’t worry.

We’ll put him in his place, send him packing,

and watch his every move.

Shepherd-rule will extend as far as needed,

to Assyria and all other Nimrod-bullies.

Our shepherd-ruler will save us from old or new enemies,

from anyone who invades or violates our land.

7 The purged and select company of Jacob will be

like an island in the sea of peoples.

They’ll be like dew fromGod,

like summer showers

Not mentioned in the weather forecast,

not subject to calculation or control.

8-9 Yes, the purged and select company of Jacob will be

like an island in the sea of peoples,

Like the king of beasts among wild beasts,

like a young lion loose in a flock of sheep,

Killing and devouring the lambs

and no one able to stop him.

With your arms raised in triumph over your foes,

your enemies will be no more!

10-15 “The day is coming”

—God’s Decree—

“When there will be no more war. None.

I’ll slaughter your war horses and demolish your chariots.

I’ll dismantle military posts

and level your fortifications.

I’ll abolish your religious black markets,

your underworld traffic in black magic.

I will smash your carved and cast gods

and chop down your phallic posts.

No more taking control of the world,

worshiping what you do or make.

I’ll root out your sacred sex-and-power centers

and destroy the God-defiant.

In raging anger, I’ll make a clean sweep

of godless nations who haven’t listened.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/MIC/5-d1afd633760a254ac0c745a4d7fb905b.mp3?version_id=97—

What God Is Looking For

1-2 Listen now, listen toGod:

“Take your stand in court.

If you have a complaint, tell the mountains;

make your case to the hills.

And now, Mountains, hearGod’s case;

listen, Jury Earth—

For I am bringing charges against my people.

I am building a case against Israel.

3-5 “Dear people, how have I done you wrong?

Have I burdened you, worn you out? Answer!

I delivered you from a bad life in Egypt;

I paid a good price to get you out of slavery.

I sent Moses to lead you—

and Aaron and Miriam to boot!

Remember what Balak king of Moab tried to pull,

and how Balaam son of Beor turned the tables on him.

Remember all those stories about Shittim and Gilgal.

Keep allGod’s salvation stories fresh and present.”

6-7 How can I stand up beforeGod

and show proper respect to the high God?

Should I bring an armload of offerings

topped off with yearling calves?

WouldGodbe impressed with thousands of rams,

with buckets and barrels of olive oil?

Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,

my precious baby, to cancel my sin?

8 But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,

whatGodis looking for in men and women.

It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,

be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourself too seriously—

take God seriously.

9 Attention!Godcalls out to the city!

If you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen.

So listen, all of you!

This is serious business.

10-16 “Do you expect me to overlook obscene wealth

you’ve piled up by cheating and fraud?

Do you think I’ll tolerate shady deals

and shifty scheming?

I’m tired of the violent rich

bullying their way with bluffs and lies.

I’m fed up. Beginning now, you’re finished.

You’ll pay for your sins down to your last cent.

No matter how much you get, it will never be enough—

hollow stomachs, empty hearts.

No matter how hard you work, you’ll have nothing to show for it—

bankrupt lives, wasted souls.

You’ll plant grass

but never get a lawn.

You’ll make jelly

but never spread it on your bread.

You’ll press apples

but never drink the cider.

You have lived by the standards of your king, Omri,

the decadent lifestyle of the family of Ahab.

Because you’ve slavishly followed their fashions,

I’m forcing you into bankruptcy.

Your way of life will be laughed at, a tasteless joke.

Your lives will be derided as futile and fake.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/MIC/6-259854eb9c889fd1347419d2f3f48833.mp3?version_id=97—

Stick Around to See What God Will Do

1-6 I’m overwhelmed with sorrow!

sunk in a swamp of despair!

I’m like someone who goes to the garden

to pick cabbages and carrots and corn

And returns empty-handed,

finds nothing for soup or sandwich or salad.

There’s not a decent person in sight.

Right-living humans are extinct.

They’re all out for one another’s blood,

animals preying on each other.

They’ve all become experts in evil.

Corrupt leaders demand bribes.

The powerful rich

make sure they get what they want.

The best and brightest are thistles.

The top of the line is crabgrass.

But no longer: It’s exam time.

Look at them slinking away in disgrace!

Don’t trust your neighbor,

don’t confide in your friend.

Watch your words,

even with your spouse.

Neighborhoods and families are falling to pieces.

The closer they are—sons, daughters, in-laws—

The worse they can be.

Your own family is the enemy.

7 But me, I’m not giving up.

I’m sticking around to see whatGodwill do.

I’m waiting for God to make things right.

I’m counting on God to listen to me.

Spreading Your Wings

8-10 Don’t, enemy, crow over me.

I’m down, but I’m not out.

I’m sitting in the dark right now,

butGodis my light.

I can takeGod’s punishing rage.

I deserve it—I sinned.

But it’s not forever. He’s on my side

and is going to get me out of this.

He’ll turn on the lights and show me his ways.

I’ll see the whole picture and how right he is.

And my enemy will see it, too,

and be discredited—yes, disgraced!

This enemy who kept taunting,

“So where is thisGodof yours?”

I’m going to see it with these, my own eyes—

my enemy disgraced, trash in the gutter.

11-13 Oh, that will be a day! A day for rebuilding your city,

a day for stretching your arms, spreading your wings!

All your dispersed and scattered people will come back,

old friends and family from faraway places,

From Assyria in the east to Egypt in the west,

from across the seas and out of the mountains.

But there’ll be a reversal for everyone else—massive depopulation—

because of the way they lived, the things they did.

14-17 Shepherd, OGod, your people with your staff,

your dear and precious flock.

Uniquely yours in a grove of trees,

centered in lotus land.

Let them graze in lush Bashan

as in the old days in green Gilead.

Reproduce the miracle-wonders

of our exodus from Egypt.

And the godless nations: Put them in their place—

humiliated in their arrogance, speechless and clueless.

Make them slink like snakes, crawl like cockroaches,

come out of their holes from under their rocks

And face ourGod.

Fill them with holy fear and trembling.

18-20 Where is the god who can compare with you—

wiping the slate clean of guilt,

Turning a blind eye, a deaf ear,

to the past sins of your purged and precious people?

You don’t nurse your anger and don’t stay angry long,

for mercy is your specialty. That’s what you love most.

And compassion is on its way to us.

You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing.

You’ll sink our sins

to the bottom of the ocean.

You’ll stay true to your word to Father Jacob

and continue the compassion you showed Grandfather Abraham—

Everything you promised our ancestors

from a long time ago.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/MIC/7-1b8b955c0e21944a900b1ab851ea0375.mp3?version_id=97—