Woe to the Oppressors

Micah 2

1 Woe to those who devise iniquity,
And 1 work out evil on their beds!
At a morning light they practice it,
Because it is in the power of their hand. 2 They b covet fields and take them by violence,
Also houses, and seize them.
So they oppress a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance. 3 Therefore thus says the LORD:
"Behold, against this c family I am devising d disaster,
From which you cannot remove your necks;
Nor shall you walk haughtily,
For this is an evil time. 4 In that day one shall take up a proverb against you,
And e lament with a bitter lamentation, saying:
'We are utterly destroyed!
He has changed the 2 heritage of my people;
How He has removed it from me!
To 3 a turncoat He has divided our fields.' " 5 Therefore you will have no 4 one to determine boundaries by lot
In the assembly of the LORD.

6 "Do not prattle," you say to those who 5 prophesy.
So they shall not prophesy 6 to you;
7 They shall not return insult for insult. 7 You who are named the house of Jacob:
"Is the Spirit of the LORD restricted?
Are these His doings?
Do not My words do good
To him who walks uprightly? 8 "Lately My people have risen up as an enemy -
You pull off the robe with the garment
From those who trust you, as they pass by,
Like men returned from war. 9 The women of My people you cast out
From their pleasant houses;
From their children
You have taken away My glory forever. 10 "Arise and depart,
For this is not your f rest;
Because it is g defiled, it shall destroy,
Yes, with utter destruction. 11 If a man should walk in a false spirit
And speak a lie, saying,
'I will 8 prophesy to you 9 of wine and drink,'
Even he would be the h prattler of this people. 12 "I i will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob,
I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
I will put them together j like sheep of 10 the fold,
Like a flock in the midst of their pasture;
k They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. 13 The one who breaks open will come up before them;
They will break out,
Pass through the gate,
And go out by it;
l Their king will pass before them,
m With the LORD at their head."

  1. Cross References
    Hosea 7:6
    They prepare their heart like an oven, While they lie in wait; Their baker sleeps all night; In the morning it burns like a flaming fire.
    Hosea 7:7
    They are all hot, like an oven, And have devoured their judges; All their kings have fallen. None among them calls upon Me.
  2. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:8
    Woe to those who join house to house; They add field to field, Till there is no place Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 20:5
    You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.
    Jeremiah 8:3
    Then death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them," says the LORD of hosts.
    Amos 3:1
    Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:
    Amos 3:2
    "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."
  4. Cross References
    Amos 5:13
    Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.
  5. Cross References
    2 Samuel 1:17
    Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son.
  6. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:9
    For as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you.
  7. Cross References
    Leviticus 18:25
    For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants.
  8. Cross References
    Isaiah 30:10
    Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
    Jeremiah 5:30
    An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land:
    Jeremiah 5:31
    The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?
    2 Timothy 4:3
    For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.
    2 Timothy 4:4
    And they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
  9. Cross References
    Micah 4:6
    In that day," says the LORD, "I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted.
    Micah 4:7
    I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.
  10. Cross References
    Jeremiah 31:10
    "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.'
  11. Cross References
    Ezekiel 33:22
    Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had opened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.
    Ezekiel 36:37
    Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock.
  12. Cross References
    Hosea 3:5
    Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 52:12
    For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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