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The Mountain of the Lord

In the last days
    the mountain on which the Lord’s Temple stands
    will become the most important of all mountains.
It will be raised above the hills.
    People from other nations will come streaming to it.
Many nations will come and say,
    “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.
    Let us go to the Temple of the God of Jacob!
Then God will teach us his ways.
    And we will obey his teachings.”
The Lord’s teachings will go out from Jerusalem.
    The word of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem.
The Lord will settle arguments among many nations.
    He will decide between strong nations that are far away.
Then the nations will make their swords into plows.
    They will make their spears into hooks for trimming trees.
Nations will no longer fight other nations.
    They will not even train for war anymore.
Everyone will sit under his own vine and fig tree.
    No one will make him afraid.
    This is because the Lord of heaven’s armies has said it.
All other nations follow their own gods.
    But we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.

The Lord says, “At that time,

I will bring back to me the crippled.
    I will bring back to Jerusalem those who were sent away.
    I will bring back to me those who were hurt.
I will keep alive those who were crippled.
    I will make a strong nation of those who were sent away.
The Lord will be their king in Mount Zion forever.
And you, watchtower of the flocks,[a] strong city of Jerusalem,
    you will be a kingdom as in the past.
    Jerusalem, the right to rule will come again to you.”

Why the Israelites Must Go to Babylon

Now, why do you cry so loudly?
    Is your king gone?
Have you lost your leader?
    You are in pain like a woman trying to give birth.
10 People of Jerusalem, be in pain.
    Be like a woman trying to give birth.
Now you must leave the city
    and live in the field.
You will go to Babylon.
    But you will be saved from that place.
The Lord will go there
    and take you back from your enemies.

11 But now many nations
    have come to fight against you.
They say, “Let’s destroy Jerusalem
    and be proud we have defeated her.”
12 But they don’t know
    what the Lord is thinking.
They don’t understand his plan for them.
    He will crush them like a bundle of grain on the threshing floor.

13 “Get up and crush them, people of Jerusalem.
    I will make you strong as if you had horns of iron.
I will make you strong as if you had hooves of bronze.
    You will beat many nations into small pieces.
You will give their wealth to the Lord.
    You will give their treasure to the Lord of all the earth.”

Footnotes

  1. 4:8 watchtower . . . flocks This probably means a part of Jerusalem. The leaders would be like shepherds in a tower watching their sheep.

The Mountain of the Lord(A)

In the last days

the mountain(B) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,(C)
    and peoples will stream to it.(D)

Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,(E)
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.(F)
He will teach us(G) his ways,(H)
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law(I) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.(J)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.(K)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war(L) anymore.(M)
Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,(N)
and no one will make them afraid,(O)
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.(P)
All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,(Q)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.(R)

The Lord’s Plan

“In that day,” declares the Lord,

“I will gather the lame;(S)
    I will assemble the exiles(T)
    and those I have brought to grief.(U)
I will make the lame my remnant,(V)
    those driven away a strong nation.(W)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion(X)
    from that day and forever.(Y)
As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored(Z) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.(AA)

Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king[b](AB)?
Has your ruler[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?(AC)
10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
    to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;(AD)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem(AE) you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

11 But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat(AF) over Zion!”
12 But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,(AG)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13 “Rise and thresh,(AH) Daughter Zion,
    for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
    and you will break to pieces many nations.”(AI)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,(AJ)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 4:8 Or hill
  2. Micah 4:9 Or King
  3. Micah 4:9 Or Ruler