Yahweh has spoken.

Jerusalem's Future 21 How the faithful town has become a prostitute!

She was full of justice, and righteousness lived in her.

But now murderers live there!

22 Your silver is not pure.

Your wine is watered down.

23 Your rulers are rebels, friends with thieves.

They all love bribes and run after gifts.

They never defend orphans.

They don't notice the widows' pleas.

24 That's why Adonay , Yahweh Tsebaoth , the Mighty One of Israel, says, "How horrible it will be when I take revenge on my opponents!

I will avenge myself against my enemies.

25 I will turn my power against you.

I will remove your impurities with bleach.

I will get rid of all your impurities.

26 I will give you judges like you had long ago, advisers like you had in the beginning.

After that you will be called the Righteous City, the Faithful Town."

27 Zion will be pardoned by the LORD's justice, and those who return will be pardoned by the LORD's righteousness.

28 Rebels and sinners will be crushed at the same time, and those who abandon Yahweh will come to an end.

29 You will be ashamed of the oaks that you wanted to worship and embarrassed by the garden that you have chosen for your gods.

30 You will be like an oak whose leaves wither and like a garden without water.

31 Strong people will become tinder for a fire, and their work will be the spark.

Both of them will burn together, and there will be no one to put out the fire.

The LORD Will Teach the Nations-Micah 4:1-3 2 1 This is the message which Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem.

2 In the last days the mountain of Yahweh's house will be established as the highest of the mountains and raised above the hills.

All the nations will stream to it.

3 Then many people will come and say, "Let's go to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the Elohim of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways so that we may live by them."

The teachings will go out from Zion.

The word of Yahweh will go out from Jerusalem.

4 Then he will judge disputes between nations and settle arguments between many people.

They will hammer their swords into plowblades and their spears into pruning shears.

Nations will never fight against each other, and they will never train for war again.

5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let's live in the light of Yahweh.

Israel's Sins 6 Yahweh, you have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob, because they are filled with Eastern influences.

They are fortunetellers like the Philistines, and they make deals with foreigners.

7 Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures.

Their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots.

8 Their land is filled with idols, and they worship what their hands have shaped and what their fingers have molded.

9 People will be brought down. Everyone will be humbled.

Do not forgive them.

10 Go in among the rocks and hide underground because of Yahweh's terrifying presence and the honor of his majesty.

11 The eyes of arrogant people will be humbled.

High and mighty people will be brought down.

On that day Yahweh alone will be honored.

The Day of the LORD'S Judgment 12 Yahweh Tsebaoth will have his day against all who are arrogant and conceited and all who are proud of themselves (they will be humbled), 13 against all the towering and mighty cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks of Bashan, 14 against all the high mountains and all the lofty hills, 15 against every high tower and every fortified wall, 16 against all the large ships of Tarshish and all the beautiful boats.

17 Then arrogant people will be brought down, and high and mighty people will be humbled.

On that day Yahweh alone will be honored.

18 Then idols will disappear completely.

19 People will go into caves in the rocks and into holes in the ground because of Yahweh's terrifying presence and the honor of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth.

20 On that day people will throw to the moles and the bats the silver and gold idols that they made for themselves to worship.

21 They will go into caves in the rocks and into cracks in the cliffs because of Yahweh's terrifying presence and the honor of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth.

22 Stop trusting people.

Their life is in their nostrils.

How can they be worth anything?

The LORD'S Judgment on Sinners in Zion 3 1 See now, Adonay , Yahweh Tsebaoth , is going to take from Jerusalem and Judah every kind of support and their entire supply of food and water.

2 He will take their heroes and soldiers, judges and prophets, fortunetellers and statesmen, 3 military leaders and civilian leaders, counselors, skilled workers, and experts in magic.

4 "I will make boys their leaders.

Children will govern them."

5 People will oppress each other, and everyone will oppress his neighbor.

The young will make fun of the old, and common people will make fun of their superiors.

6 A person will grab one of his relatives from his father's family and say, "You have a coat.

You'll be our leader.

This pile of ruins will be under your control."

7 When that day comes the relative will cry out, "I'm not a doctor!

I don't have any food or a coat in my home.

Don't make me a leader of our family."

8 Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because what they say and what they do is against Yahweh.

They are defiant in his honored presence.

9 The look on their faces will be held against them.

They boast about their sins, which are like those of the people of Sodom.

They don't even bother to hide them.

How horrible it will be for these people, because they have brought disaster on themselves.

10 Tell the righteous that blessings will come to them.

They will taste the fruit of their labor.

11 How horrible it will be for the wicked! Disaster will strike them.

What they have done will be done to them.

12 "Children will oppress my people.

Women will rule them.

My people, your guides mislead you, and you don't know which way to go."

13 Yahweh takes his place in the courtroom.

He stands to judge his people.

14 Yahweh presents his case to the respected leaders and the officials of his people: "You have burned down the vineyard!

Your houses are filled with goods stolen from the poor."

15 Adonay Yahweh Tsebaoth asks, "How can you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor into the ground?"

16 Yahweh adds, "The women of Zion are arrogant.

They walk with their noses in the air, making seductive glances, taking short little steps, jingling the ankle bracelets on their feet."

17 Adonay will cause sores to appear on the heads of the women of Zion, and Yahweh will make their foreheads bare.

18 On that day Adonay will take away their fine things: jingling anklets, headbands, crescent-shaped necklaces, 19 pendants, bracelets, scarfs, 20 hats, ankle bracelets, blouses, perfume boxes, charms, 21 signet rings, nose rings, 22 fine robes, coats, shawls, purses, 23 mirrors, underwear, headdresses, and veils.

24 Instead of the smell of perfume, there will be the smell of decay.

They will wear ropes instead of belts.

They will have bald heads instead of beautiful hair.

They will wear sackcloth instead of expensive clothes.

Their beauty will be scarred.a 25 Women, your warriors will die in combat.

Your mighty men will die in battle.

26 The gates of Zion will cry and grieve, and Zion will sit on the ground, exhausted.

4 1 When that day comes, seven women will grab one man and say, "We'll eat our own food and provide our own clothes.

Just let us marry you for your name.

Take away our disgrace."

The LORD'S New Glory for Zion 2 When that day comes, the branch of Yahweh will be beautiful and wonderful.