1 In the last days, the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be set over the highest mountains and will tower over the hills.
2 All the nations will stream to it, saying, “Come, let us go to the moun tain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, so he may teach us his ways and we may walk in his paths. For the Teaching comes from Zion and from Jeru salem the word of Yahweh.”
3 He will rule over the nations and settle dis putes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not raise sword against nation; neither will they train for war any more.
4 But each one will sit in peace and freedom under a fig tree or a vine of his own, for the mouth of Yahweh of hosts has spoken.
5 While peoples walk, each in the name of his god, we shall walk in the name of Yahweh, our God, forever and ever.
6 Yahweh declares, “On that day I will assemble the lame and gather the banished, those whom I have afflicted.
7 I will make the lame a remnant and those driven out a mighty nation. Yahweh will reign over them on Zion from now
and forever.
8 As for you, O watchtower of the flock, O city of Zion, city of the king, your former dominion will be restored, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 Now, why do you wail? Would it be that you have no king and your counselor has perished? Why are you in anguish like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and howl, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city and camp in the open country. To Babylon you must go; there you shall be rescued and Yahweh will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.
11 But now many nations are massed against you; they say, “Let Jerusalem be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion.”
12 But they do not know Yahweh’s thoughts, nor do they understand his purpose: that he has gathered them like sheaves on the threshing floor.
13 Arise and thresh, O Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze, and you shall crush many peoples. You shall devote their plundered wealth to Yahweh, their treasures to the Lord of the whole earth.
14 Strengthen the walls of your for tress, for they have laid siege against us. With a rod they want to strike the cheek of Israel’s ruler.
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Comments Micah, Chapter 4
• 4.1 Here we find an oracle similar to Isaiah’s 2:2. Verses 9-10 announce the Exile. The text 11-13 is different: it resembles Isaiah’s poems about Zion, the invincible (see Is 29:1 and 31:4).
Verses 6-7 show the confidence of God’s peo ple in the midst of hostile forces in the world.