MICAH 4

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The Mountain of the Lord4:1

It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the Lord

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and it shall be lifted up above the hills;

and peoples shall flow to it, 2

and many nations shall come, and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3

He shall judge between many peoples,

and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war anymore; 4

but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree,

and no one shall make them afraid,

for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. 5

For all the peoples walk

each in the name of its god,

but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God

forever and ever. The Lord Shall Rescue Zion6

In that day, declares the Lord,

I will assemble the lame

and gather those who have been driven away

and those whom I have afflicted; 7

and the lame I will make the remnant,

and those who were cast off, a strong nation;

and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion

from this time forth and forevermore.
8

And you, O tower of the flock,

hill of the daughter of Zion,

to you shall it come,

the former dominion shall come,

kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.
9

Now why do you cry aloud?

Is there no king in you?

Has your counselor perished,

that pain seized you like a woman in labor? 10

Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion,

like a woman in labor,

for now you shall go out from the city

and dwell in the open country;

you shall go to Babylon.

There you shall be rescued;

there the Lord will redeem you

from the hand of your enemies.
11

Now many nations

are assembled against you,

saying, “Let her be defiled,

and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.” 12

But they do not know

the thoughts of the Lord;

they do not understand his plan,

that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. 13

Arise and thresh,

O daughter of Zion,

for I will make your horn iron,

and I will make your hoofs bronze;

you shall beat in pieces many peoples;

and shall devote their gain to the Lord,

their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.

MICAH 5

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The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem5:1

Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;

siege is laid against us;

with a rod they strike the judge of Israel

on the cheek. 2

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days. 3

Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel. 4

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.
5

And he shall be their peace.

When the Assyrian comes into our land

and treads in our palaces,

then we will raise against him seven shepherds

and eight princes of men; 6

they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,

and the land of Nimrod at its entrances;

and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian

when he comes into our land

and treads within our border. A Remnant Shall Be Delivered7

Then the remnant of Jacob shall be

in the midst of many peoples

like dew from the Lord,

like showers on the grass,

which delay not for a man

nor wait for the children of man. 8

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples,

like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

which, when it goes through, treads down

and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver. 9

Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,

and all your enemies shall be cut off.
10

And in that day, declares the Lord,

I will cut off your horses from among you

and will destroy your chariots; 11

and I will cut off the cities of your land

and throw down all your strongholds; 12

and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,

and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes; 13

and I will cut off your carved images

and your pillars from among you,

and you shall bow down no more

to the work of your hands; 14

and I will root out your Asherah images from among you

and destroy your cities. 15

And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance

on the nations that did not obey.

PROVERBS 13

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13:1

A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 2

From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. 3

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 4

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. 5

The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. 6

Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked. 7

One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. 8

The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man hears no threat. 9

The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. 10

By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom. 11

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. 12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. 13

Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. 14

The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death. 15

Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. 16

Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly. 17

A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing. 18

Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is honored. 19

A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. 20

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21

Disaster pursues sinners,

but the righteous are rewarded with good. 22

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. 23

The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice. 24

Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. 25

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

PSALM 146

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Put Not Your Trust in Princes146:1

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2

I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3

Put not your trust in princes,

in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4

When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.
5

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6

who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;
7

who executes justice for the oppressed,

who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

the Lord loves the righteous. 9

The Lord watches over the sojourners;

he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10

The Lord will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord!