Micah 3

English EASY 2024

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1Then I said, ‘Listen to me, leaders of Jacob's people! You are the rulers of Israel. You ought to know what is right and what is wrong.

2But you hate what is good, and you love what is evil. You are cruel to my people, as if you are tearing the skin off their bones.

3You are like butchers who think that my people are meat. You want to remove their skin and break their bones. You cut them into pieces like meat, so that you can cook it in a pot.’

4One day, the wicked people will call to the Lord for help, but he will not answer them. He will not listen to their prayers, because of the evil things that they have done.

5The Lord says, ‘I say this about the false prophets who are deceiving my people: If someone gives them food, they promise that person will have peace. But if someone does not feed them, they say that war will bring trouble to that person.

6Because of that, it will become like night for you prophets. You will not receive any more visions. You will be completely in the dark. You will no longer see signs about future times. The sun will no longer shine on you. Even in the daytime, you will be in the dark.

7Then the prophets and diviners will all be ashamed. They will shut their mouths because they have no message from me.’

8But as for me, the Lord 's Spirit fills me with power. He helps me to know what is right. So I am brave enough to warn Israel's people about their sins. Jacob's descendants have turned against the Lord.

9So listen to this, you leaders of Jacob's people. You are the rulers of Israel. But you hate justice. You take what is right and you make it seem wrong.

10You use murder and violence to build Jerusalem, the city of Zion.

11Jerusalem's leaders accept bribes when they judge people in court. Jerusalem's priests only teach people who give them money. The prophets only speak messages to people who pay them. But they all say that they trust the Lord. They say, ‘The Lord is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.’

12Because of how you live, this is what will happen. Zion will become like a field that a farmer has ploughed. Jerusalem will become a heap of stones. Trees will cover the hill where the temple is now.

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