MICAH 1-3

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  1:1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. The Coming Destruction2

Hear, you peoples, all of you;

pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,

and let the Lord God be a witness against you,

the Lord from his holy temple. 3

For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place,

and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. 4

And the mountains will melt under him,

and the valleys will split open,

like wax before the fire,

like waters poured down a steep place. 5

All this is for the transgression of Jacob

and for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria?

And what is the high place of Judah?

Is it not Jerusalem? 6

Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country,

a place for planting vineyards,

and I will pour down her stones into the valley

and uncover her foundations. 7

All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,

all her wages shall be burned with fire,

and all her idols I will lay waste,

for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,

and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.
8

For this I will lament and wail;

I will go stripped and naked;

I will make lamentation like the jackals,

and mourning like the ostriches. 9

For her wound is incurable,

and it has come to Judah;

it has reached to the gate of my people,

to Jerusalem.
10

Tell it not in Gath;

weep not at all;

in Beth-le-aphrah

roll yourselves in the dust. 11

Pass on your way,

inhabitants of Shaphir,

in nakedness and shame;

the inhabitants of Zaanan

do not come out;

the lamentation of Beth-ezel

shall take away from you its standing place. 12

For the inhabitants of Maroth

wait anxiously for good,

because disaster has come down from the Lord

to the gate of Jerusalem. 13

Harness the steeds to the chariots,

inhabitants of Lachish;

it was the beginning of sin

to the daughter of Zion,

for in you were found

the transgressions of Israel. 14

Therefore you shall give parting gifts

to Moresheth-gath;

the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing

to the kings of Israel. 15

I will again bring a conqueror to you,

inhabitants of Mareshah;

the glory of Israel

shall come to Adullam. 16

Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair,

for the children of your delight;

make yourselves as bald as the eagle,

for they shall go from you into exile. Woe to the Oppressors2:1

Woe to those who devise wickedness

and work evil on their beds!

When the morning dawns, they perform it,

because it is in the power of their hand. 2

They covet fields and seize them,

and houses, and take them away;

they oppress a man and his house,

a man and his inheritance. 3

Therefore thus says the Lord:

behold, against this family I am devising disaster,

from which you cannot remove your necks,

and you shall not walk haughtily,

for it will be a time of disaster. 4

In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you

and moan bitterly,

and say, “We are utterly ruined;

he changes the portion of my people;

how he removes it from me!

To an apostate he allots our fields.” 5

Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot

in the assembly of the Lord.
6

“Do not preach”—thus they preach—

“one should not preach of such things;

disgrace will not overtake us.” 7

Should this be said, O house of Jacob?

Has the Lord grown impatient?

Are these his deeds?

Do not my words do good

to him who walks uprightly? 8

But lately my people have risen up as an enemy;

you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly

with no thought of war. 9

The women of my people you drive out

from their delightful houses;

from their young children you take away

my splendor forever. 10

Arise and go,

for this is no place to rest,

because of uncleanness that destroys

with a grievous destruction. 11

If a man should go about and utter wind and lies,

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

he would be the preacher for this people! 12

I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob;

I will gather the remnant of Israel;

I will set them together

like sheep in a fold,

like a flock in its pasture,

a noisy multitude of men. 13

He who opens the breach goes up before them;

they break through and pass the gate,

going out by it.

Their king passes on before them,

the Lord at their head. Rulers and Prophets Denounced3:1

And I said:

Hear, you heads of Jacob

and rulers of the house of Israel!

Is it not for you to know justice?— 2

you who hate the good and love the evil,

who tear the skin from off my people

and their flesh from off their bones, 3

who eat the flesh of my people,

and flay their skin from off them,

and break their bones in pieces

and chop them up like meat in a pot,

like flesh in a cauldron.
4

Then they will cry to the Lord,

but he will not answer them;

he will hide his face from them at that time,

because they have made their deeds evil.
5

Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets

who lead my people astray,

who cry “Peace”

when they have something to eat,

but declare war against him

who puts nothing into their mouths. 6

Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,

and darkness to you, without divination.

The sun shall go down on the prophets,

and the day shall be black over them; 7

the seers shall be disgraced,

and the diviners put to shame;

they shall all cover their lips,

for there is no answer from God. 8

But as for me, I am filled with power,

with the Spirit of the Lord,

and with justice and might,

to declare to Jacob his transgression

and to Israel his sin.
9

Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob

and rulers of the house of Israel,

who detest justice

and make crooked all that is straight, 10

who build Zion with blood

and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11

Its heads give judgment for a bribe;

its priests teach for a price;

its prophets practice divination for money;

yet they lean on the Lord and say,

“Is not the Lord in the midst of us?

No disaster shall come upon us.” 12

Therefore because of you

Zion shall be plowed as a field;

Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,

and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

PROVERBS 12

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12:1

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates reproof is stupid. 2

A good man obtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns. 3

No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of the righteous will never be moved. 4

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones. 5

The thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. 6

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

but the mouth of the upright delivers them. 7

The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but the house of the righteous will stand. 8

A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is despised. 9

Better to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread. 10

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. 11

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. 12

Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit. 13

An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

but the righteous escapes from trouble. 14

From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,

and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him. 15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice. 16

The vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult. 17

Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,

but a false witness utters deceit. 18

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 19

Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue is but for a moment. 20

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy. 21

No ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble. 22

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who act faithfully are his delight. 23

A prudent man conceals knowledge,

but the heart of fools proclaims folly. 24

The hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be put to forced labor. 25

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad. 26

One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

but the way of the wicked leads them astray. 27

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth. 28

In the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

PSALM 145

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Great Is the Lord A Song of Praise. Of David.
145:1

I will extol you, my God and King,

and bless your name forever and ever. 2

Every day I will bless you

and praise your name forever and ever. 3

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

and his greatness is unsearchable.
4

One generation shall commend your works to another,

and shall declare your mighty acts. 5

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,

and I will declare your greatness. 7

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness

and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9

The Lord is good to all,

and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,

and all your saints shall bless you! 11

They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom

and tell of your power, 12

to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.] 14

The Lord upholds all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down. 15

The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food in due season. 16

You open your hand;

you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17

The Lord is righteous in all his ways

and kind in all his works. 18

The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth. 19

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;

he also hears their cry and saves them. 20

The Lord preserves all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.
21

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.