MICAH 4

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Peaceful Latter Days4:1 And it will come about in the last days

That the mountain of the house of the LORD

Will be established as the chief of the mountains.

It will be raised above the hills,

And the peoples will stream to it.

2 Many nations will come and say,

“Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD

And to the house of the God of Jacob,

That He may teach us about His ways

And that we may walk in His paths.”

For from Zion will go forth the law,

Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

3 And He will judge between many peoples

And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.

Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares

And their spears into pruning hooks;

Nation will not lift up sword against nation,

And never again will they train for war.

4 Each of them will sit under his vine

And under his fig tree,

With no one to make them afraid,

For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.

5 Though all the peoples walk

Each in the name of his god,

As for us, we will walk

In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

6 “In that day,” declares the LORD,

“I will assemble the lame

And gather the outcasts,

Even those whom I have afflicted.

7 “I will make the lame a remnant

And the outcasts a strong nation,

And the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion

From now on and forever.

8 “As for you, tower of the flock,

Hill of the daughter of Zion,

To you it will come--

Even the former dominion will come,

The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

9 “Now, why do you cry out loudly?

Is there no king among you,

Or has your counselor perished,

That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?

10 “Writhe and labor to give birth,

Daughter of Zion,

Like a woman in childbirth;

For now you will go out of the city,

Dwell in the field,

And go to Babylon.

There you will be rescued;

There the LORD will redeem you

From the hand of your enemies.

11 “And now many nations have been assembled against you

Who say, ‘Let her be polluted,

And let our eyes gloat over Zion.’

12 “But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD,

And they do not understand His purpose;

For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

13 “Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,

For your horn I will make iron

And your hoofs I will make bronze,

That you may pulverize many peoples,

That you may devote to the LORD their unjust gain

And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

MICAH 5

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Birth of the King in Bethlehem5:1 “Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;

They have laid siege against us;

With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago,

From the days of eternity.”

3 Therefore He will give them up until the time

When she who is in labor has borne a child.

Then the remainder of His brethren

Will return to the sons of Israel.

4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock

In the strength of the LORD,

In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God.

And they will remain,

Because at that time He will be great

To the ends of the earth.

5 This One will be our peace.

When the Assyrian invades our land,

When he tramples on our citadels,

Then we will raise against him

Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.

6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,

The land of Nimrod at its entrances;

And He will deliver us from the Assyrian

When he attacks our land

And when he tramples our territory.

7 Then the remnant of Jacob

Will be among many peoples

Like dew from the LORD,

Like showers on vegetation

Which do not wait for man

Or delay for the sons of men.

8 The remnant of Jacob

Will be among the nations,

Among many peoples

Like a lion among the beasts of the forest,

Like a young lion among flocks of sheep,

Which, if he passes through,

Tramples down and tears,

And there is none to rescue.

9 Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries,

And all your enemies will be cut off.

10 “It will be in that day,” declares the LORD,

“That I will cut off your horses from among you

And destroy your chariots.

11 “I will also cut off the cities of your land

And tear down all your fortifications.

12 “I will cut off sorceries from your hand,

And you will have fortune-tellers no more.

13 “I will cut off your carved images

And your sacred pillars from among you,

So that you will no longer bow down

To the work of your hands.

14 “I will root out your Asherim from among you

And destroy your cities.

15 “And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath

On the nations which have not obeyed.”

PROVERBS 12

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Contrast the Upright and the Wicked12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

But he who hates reproof is stupid.

2 A good man will obtain favor from the LORD,

But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

3 A man will not be established by wickedness,

But the root of the righteous will not be moved.

4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.

5 The thoughts of the righteous are just,

But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

But the house of the righteous will stand.

8 A man will be praised according to his insight,

But one of perverse mind will be despised.

9 Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant

Than he who honors himself and lacks bread.

10 A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,

But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

11 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.

12 The wicked man desires the booty of evil men,

But the root of the righteous yields fruit.

13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

But the righteous will escape from trouble.

14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words,

And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

16 A fool’s anger is known at once,

But a prudent man conceals dishonor.

17 He who speaks truth tells what is right,

But a false witness, deceit.

18 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,

But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19 Truthful lips will be established forever,

But a lying tongue is only for a moment.

20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

But counselors of peace have joy.

21 No harm befalls the righteous,

But the wicked are filled with trouble.

22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,

But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,

But the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24 The hand of the diligent will rule,

But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.

26 The righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

But the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27 A lazy man does not roast his prey,

But the precious possession of a man is diligence.

28 In the way of righteousness is life,

And in its pathway there is no death.

PSALM 146

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The LORD an Abundant Helper.146:1 Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, O my soul!

2 I will praise the LORD while I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Do not trust in princes,

In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

4 His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;

In that very day his thoughts perish.

5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 Who made heaven and earth,

The sea and all that is in them;

Who keeps faith forever;

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed;

Who gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets the prisoners free.

8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;

The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;

The LORD loves the righteous;

9 The LORD protects the strangers;

He supports the fatherless and the widow,

But He thwarts the way of the wicked.

10 The LORD will reign forever,

Your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the LORD!