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 16

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16:1

The plans of the heart belong to man,

but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. 2

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

but the Lord weighs the spirit. 3

Commit your work to the Lord,

and your plans will be established. 4

The Lord has made everything for its purpose,

even the wicked for the day of trouble. 5

Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;

be assured, he will not go unpunished. 6

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. 7

When a man’s ways please the Lord,

he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 8

Better is a little with righteousness

than great revenues with injustice. 9

The heart of man plans his way,

but the Lord establishes his steps. 10

An oracle is on the lips of a king;

his mouth does not sin in judgment. 11

A just balance and scales are the Lord’s;

all the weights in the bag are his work. 12

It is an abomination to kings to do evil,

for the throne is established by righteousness. 13

Righteous lips are the delight of a king,

and he loves him who speaks what is right. 14

A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,

and a wise man will appease it. 15

In the light of a king’s face there is life,

and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. 16

How much better to get wisdom than gold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. 17

The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life. 18

Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19

It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. 21

The wise of heart is called discerning,

and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness. 22

Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,

but the instruction of fools is folly. 23

The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to his lips. 24

Gracious words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and health to the body. 25

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death. 26

A worker’s appetite works for him;

his mouth urges him on. 27

A worthless man plots evil,

and his speech is like a scorching fire. 28

A dishonest man spreads strife,

and a whisperer separates close friends. 29

A man of violence entices his neighbor

and leads him in a way that is not good. 30

Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;

he who purses his lips brings evil to pass. 31

Gray hair is a crown of glory;

it is gained in a righteous life. 32

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. 33

The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the Lord.

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!