Micah 5 - 6 - Legacy Standard Bible

Micah 5 - 6

The Ruler Will Come from Bethlehem

“Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;

They have laid siege against us;

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

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 everlasting,

From the ancient days.”

Therefore He will give them up until the time

When she who is in childbirth has borne a child.

Then the remainder of His brothers

Will return to the sons of Israel.

And He will stand and shepherd His flock

In the strength of Yahweh,

In the majesty of the name of Yahweh His God.

And they will remain

Because at that time He will be great

To the ends of the earth.

And this One will be peace.

When the Assyrian enters our land,

When he treads on our citadels,

Then we will raise against him

Seven shepherds and eight princes of men.

And 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 enters our land

And when he treads within our borders.

Then the remnant of Jacob

Will be among many peoples

Like dew from Yahweh,

Like showers on vegetation

Which do not hope for man

Or wait for the sons of men.

Then 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 it passes through,

Tramples down and tears,

And there is none to deliver.

Your hand will be raised up against your adversaries,

And all your enemies will be cut off.

“And it will be in that day,” declares Yahweh,

“That I will cut off your horses from among you

And destroy your chariots.

And I will cut off the cities of your land

And pull down all your fortifications.

And I will cut off sorceries from your hand,

And you will have soothsaying no more.

And I will cut off your graven images

And your sacred pillars from among you

So that you will no longer worship

The work of your hands.

And I will uproot your Asherim from among you

And eradicate your cities.

And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath

On the nations which have not listened.”

Yahweh’s Case Against His People

Listen now to what Yahweh is saying,

“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,

And let the hills listen to your voice.

Listen, you mountains, to the case of Yahweh,

And you enduring foundations of the earth,

Because Yahweh has a case against His people;

Even with Israel He will reprove.

My people, what have I done to you,

And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.

Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt

And ransomed you from the house of slavery,

And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

My people, remember now

What Balak king of Moab counseled

And what Balaam son of Beor answered him,

And from Shittim to Gilgal,

So that you might know the righteous acts of Yahweh.”

What Yahweh Requires

With what shall I come before Yahweh

And bow myself before the God on high?

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,

With yearling calves?

Is Yahweh pleased with thousands of rams,

With ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does Yahweh require of you

But to do justice, to love lovingkindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?

The voice of Yahweh will call to the city—

And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name:

“Hear, O tribe. Who even has appointed its time?

Is there yet a man in the wicked house,

Along with treasures of wickedness,

And a short measure which is cursed?

Can I purify wicked scales

And a bag of deceptive weights?

For the rich men of the city are full of violence,

And her inhabitants speak lies,

And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.

So also I will make you sick, striking you down,

Desolating you because of your sins.

You will eat, but you will not be satisfied,

And your vileness will be in your midst.

And you will try to remove something for safekeeping,

But you will not cause anything to escape,

And that which you do have escape, I will give to the sword.

You will sow but you will not reap.

You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil;

And the grapes, but you will not drink wine.

The statutes of Omri

And all the works of the house of Ahab are kept;

And in their counsels you walk.

Therefore I will give you up as an object of horror

And your inhabitants as an object of hissing,

And you will bear the reproach of My people.”

Acts 9:36 - 10:48

Peter Raises Tabitha to Life

36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did. 37 And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. 38 Now since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” 39 So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. 40 But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Cornelius’ and Peter’s Visions

Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the people and prayed to God continually. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And looking intently on him and becoming afraid, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 Now send some men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he is lodging with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” 7 And when the angel who was speaking to him had left, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, 8 and after he explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. 9 And on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat. And while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance 11 and *saw heaven opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise up, Peter, slaughter and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and unclean.” 15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider defiled.” 16 And this happened three times and immediately the object was taken up into heaven. 17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; 18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 But rise up, go down and accompany them without taking issue at all, for I have sent them Myself.” 21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and hear a message from you.” 23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

Peter at Caesarea

And on the next day he rose up and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. 24 And on the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 And when Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” 27 As he talked with him, he entered and *found many people assembled. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man defiled or unclean. 29 That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was summoned. So I ask for what reason you have summoned me.” 30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, 31 and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is lodging at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been ordered by the Lord.”

The Holy Spirit Poured Out on the Gentiles

34 And opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him. 36 As for the word which He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— 37 you yourselves know the thing which happened throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He appear, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the word. 45 And all the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone refuse water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for a few days.

Psalm 85

Turn Us Back, O God

For the choir director. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm.

O Yahweh, You showed favor to Your land;

You returned the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of Your people;

You covered all their sin. Selah.

You withdrew all Your fury;

You turned back from Your burning anger.

Turn us back, O God of our salvation,

And cause Your vexation toward us to cease.

Will You be angry with us forever?

Will You prolong Your anger from generation to generation?

Will You not Yourself return to revive us,

That Your people may be glad in You?

Show us, O Yahweh, Your lovingkindness,

And give us Your salvation.

Let me hear what the God, Yahweh, will speak;

For He will speak peace to His people, to His holy ones;

But let them not turn back to folly.

Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

That glory may dwell in our land.

Lovingkindness and truth have met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth springs up from the earth,

And righteousness looks down from heaven.

Indeed, Yahweh will give what is good,

And our land will yield its produce.

Righteousness will go before Him

And will establish the way of His steps.