Day 325 of 365

¹The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

²Hear, you peoples, all of you. Listen, O earth, and all that is therein: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

³For, behold, the Lord comes forth out of his place, and will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.

⁴The mountains melt under him, and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like waters that are poured down a steep place.

⁵"All this is for the disobedience of Jacob, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the disobedience of Jacob? Isn't it Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Aren't they Jerusalem?

⁶Therefore I will make Samaria like a rubble heap of the field, like places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down its stones into the valley, and I will uncover its foundations.

⁷All her idols will be beaten to pieces, and all her temple gifts will be burned with fire, and all her images I will destroy; for of the hire of a prostitute has she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute shall they return."

⁸For this I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will howl like the jackals, and moan like the daughters of owls.

⁹For her wounds are incurable; for it has come even to Judah. It reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

¹⁰Do not tell it in Gath. Do not weep at all. At Beth Ophrah I have rolled myself in the dust.

¹¹Pass on, inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame. The inhabitant of Zaanan won't come out. The wailing of Beth Ezel will take from you his protection.

¹²For the inhabitant of Maroth waits anxiously for good, because evil has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.

¹³Harness the chariot to the swift steed, inhabitant of Lachish. She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; For the transgressions of Israel were found in you.

¹⁴Therefore you will give a parting gift to Moresheth Gath. The houses of Achzib will be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel.

¹⁵I will yet bring to you, inhabitant of Mareshah. He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam.

¹⁶Shave your heads, and cut off your hair for the children of your delight. Enlarge your baldness like the vulture; for they have gone into captivity from you!

¹Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil on their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.

²They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

³Therefore thus says the Lord: "Behold, I am planning against these people a disaster, from which you will not remove your necks, neither will you walk haughtily; for it is an evil time.

⁴In that day they will take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, saying, 'We are utterly ruined! My people's possession is divided up. Indeed he takes it from me and assigns our fields to traitors!'"

⁵Therefore you will have no one who divides the land by lot in the assembly of the Lord.

⁶"Do not prophesy!" They prophesy. "Do not prophesy about these things. Disgrace won't overtake us."

⁷Shall it be said, O house of Jacob: "Is the Spirit of the Lord angry? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him who walks blamelessly?"

⁸But lately my people have risen up as an enemy. You strip the robe and clothing from those who pass by without a care, returning from battle.

⁹You drive the women of my people out from their pleasant houses; from their young children you take away my blessing forever.

¹⁰Arise, and depart! For this is not your resting place, because of uncleanness that destroys, even with a grievous destruction.

¹¹If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies: "I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink;" he would be the prophet of this people.

¹²I will surely assemble, Jacob, all of you; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as a flock in the midst of their pasture; they will swarm with people.

¹³He who breaks open the way goes up before them. They break through the gate, and go out. And their king passes on before them, with the Lord at their head.

¹I said, "Please listen, you heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Isn't it for you to know justice?

²You who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones;

³who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

⁴Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them. Yes, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they made their deeds evil."

⁵Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, "Peace!" and whoever doesn't provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:

⁶"Therefore night is over you, with no vision, and it is dark to you, that you may not divine; and the sun will go down on the prophets, and the day will be black over them.

⁷The seers shall be disappointed, and the diviners confounded. Yes, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer from God."

⁸But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his disobedience, and to Israel his sin.

⁹Please listen to this, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice, and pervert all equity.

¹⁰They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

¹¹Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on the Lord, and say, "Isn't the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster will come on us."

¹²Therefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high places of a forest.

¹ALEPH To you, Lord, do I lift up my soul.

²My God, I have trusted in you. Do not let me be shamed. Do not let my enemies triumph over me.

³Yes, no one who waits for you shall be shamed. They shall be shamed who deal treacherously without cause.

⁴Show me your ways, Lord. Teach me your paths.

⁵Guide me in your truth, and teach me, For you are the God of my salvation, I wait for you all day long.

⁶Lord, remember your tender mercies and your loving kindness, for they are from old times.

⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Remember me according to your loving kindness, for your goodness' sake, Lord.

⁸Good and upright is the Lord, therefore he will instruct sinners in the way.

⁹He will guide the humble in justice. He will teach the humble his way.

¹⁰All the paths of the Lord are loving kindness and truth to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹For your name's sake, Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

¹²What man is he who fears the Lord? He shall instruct him in the way that he shall choose.

¹³His soul shall dwell at ease. His seed shall inherit the land.

¹⁴The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant.

¹⁵My eyes are ever on the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶Turn to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted.

¹⁷The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Oh bring me out of my distresses.

¹⁸Consider my affliction and my travail. Forgive all my sins.

¹⁹Consider my enemies, for they are many. They hate me with cruel hatred.

²⁰Oh keep my soul, and deliver me. Let me not be disappointed, for I take refuge in you.

²¹Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

²²Redeem Israel, God, from all of his troubles.

¹A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

²The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

³The Lord's eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

⁴A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but deceit in it crushes the spirit.

⁵A fool despises his father's correction, but he who heeds reproof shows prudence.

⁶In the house of the righteous is much treasure, but the income of the wicked brings trouble.

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so with the heart of fools.

⁸The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

⁹The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who follows after righteousness.

¹⁰There is stern discipline for one who forsakes the way: whoever hates reproof shall die.

¹¹Sheol and Abaddon are before the Lord- how much more then the hearts of the children of men!

¹²A scoffer doesn't love to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

¹³A glad heart makes a cheerful face; but an aching heart breaks the spirit.

¹⁴The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

¹⁵All the days of the afflicted are wretched, but one who has a cheerful heart enjoys a continual feast.

¹⁶Better is little, with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble.

¹⁷Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred.

¹⁸A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

¹⁹The way of the sluggard is like a thorn patch, but the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹Folly is joy to one who is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding keeps his way straight.

²²Where there is no counsel, plans fail; but in a multitude of counselors they are established.

²³Joy comes to a man with the reply of his mouth. How good is a word at the right time!

²⁴The path of life leads upward for the wise, to keep him from going downward to Sheol.

²⁵The Lord will uproot the house of the proud, but he will keep the widow's borders intact.

²⁶The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but the thoughts of the pure are pleasing.

²⁷He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸The heart of the righteous weighs answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes out evil.

²⁹The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰The light of the eyes rejoices the heart. Good news gives health to the bones.

³¹The ear that listens to reproof lives, and will be at home among the wise.

³²He who refuses correction despises his own soul, but he who listens to reproof gets understanding.

³³The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom. Before honor is humility.