--- title: "Second Cycle of Judgment and Restoration" description: "Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice? You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.” Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil" image: "" book: "Micah" bookId: "MIC" testament: "old" startChapter: 3 startVerse: 1 endChapter: 5 endVerse: 15 coversChapters: [3,4,5] aiTitle: "Second Cycle of Judgment and Restoration" aiDescription: "Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice? You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.” Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil" hasAiStory: true location: "Jerusalem" persons: ["God","Jacob","Israel","Prophets","Daughter of Zion","Daughter of Jerusalem","Nimrod"] hashtags: ["judgment","redemption","prophetic","deliverance"] genre: "prophecy" readingTime: 6 type: "adaptive" slug: "MIC/second-cycle-of-judgment-and-restoration" canonicalId: "MIC.3.1-5.15" chronologicalOrder: 915 relatedSlugs: ["JER/judgment-is-coming-part-2","ISA/judahs-rebellion","EZK/the-sin-of-jerusalem","ISA/the-wicked-and-the-servants","1CO/spiritual-wisdom","JER/the-temple-sermon-part-1","AMO/the-lord-does-not-relent","JER/the-false-prophets","MAT/jesus-announces-the-kingdom-of-heaven"] prevSlug: "MIC/first-cycle-of-judgment-and-restoration" nextSlug: "MIC/third-cycle-of-judgment-and-restoration" --- ### Rulers and [Prophets](/persons/prophets) Condemned Then I said:“Hear now, O leaders of [Jacob](/persons/jacob),you rulers of the house of [Israel](/persons/israel).Should you not know justice? You hate good and love evil.You tear the skin from my peopleand strip the flesh from their bones. You eat the flesh of my peopleafter stripping off their skinand breaking their bones.You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot,like meat in a cauldron.” Then they will cry out to the [LORD](/persons/god),but He will not answer them.At that time He will hide His face from thembecause of the evil they have done. This is what the LORD says:“As for the prophetswho lead My people astray,who proclaim peacewhile they chew with their teeth,but declare war against onewho puts nothing in their mouths: Therefore night will come over you without visions,and darkness without divination.The sun will set on these prophets,and the daylight will turn black over them. Then the seers will be ashamedand the diviners will be disgraced.They will all cover their mouthsbecause there is no answer from God.” As for me, however, I am filled with powerby the Spirit of the LORD,with justice and courage,to declare to Jacob his transgressionand to Israel his sin. Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacoband rulers of the house of Israel,who despise justiceand pervert all that is right, who build Zion with bloodshedand Jerusalem with iniquity. Her leaders judge for a bribe,her priests teach for a price,and her prophets practice divination for money.Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying,“Is not the LORD among us?No disaster can come upon us.” Therefore, because of you,Zion will be plowed like a field,Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,and the temple mount a wooded ridge. ### The Mountain of the House of the LORD In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORDwill be established as the chief of the mountains;it will be raised above the hills,and the peoples will stream to it. And many nations will come and say:“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,to the house of the God of Jacob.He will teach us His ways,so that we may walk in His paths.”For the law will go forth from Zionand the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Then He will judge between many peoplesand arbitrate for strong nations far and wide.Then they will beat their swords into plowsharesand their spears into pruning hooks.Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation,nor will they train anymore for war. And each man will sit under his own vineand under his own fig tree,with no one to frighten him.For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken. Though each of the peoplesmay walk in the name of his god,yet we will walk in the name of the LORD our Godforever and ever. ### The Restoration of Zion “On that day,” declares the LORD,“I will gather the lame;I will assemble the outcast,even those whom I have afflicted. And I will make the lame into a remnant,and the outcast into a strong nation.Then the LORD will rule over them in Mount Zionfrom that day and forever. And you, O watchtower of the flock,O stronghold of the [Daughter of Zion](/persons/daughter%20of%20zion)—the former dominion will be restored to you;sovereignty will come to the [Daughter of Jerusalem](/persons/daughter%20of%20jerusalem).” Why do you now cry aloud?Is there no king among you?Has your counselor perishedso that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion,like a woman in labor.For now you will leave the cityand camp in the open fields.You will go to Babylon;there you will be rescued;there the LORD will redeem youfrom the hand of your enemies! But now many nationshave assembled against you,saying, “Let her be defiled,and let us feast our eyes on Zion.” But they do not know the thoughts of the LORDor understand His plan,for He has gathered themlike sheaves to the threshing floor. Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion,for I will give you horns of ironand hooves of bronzeto break to pieces many peoples.Then you will devote their gain to the LORD,their wealth to the Lord of all the earth. ### A Ruler from Bethlehem Now, O daughter of troops,mobilize your troops;for a siege is laid against us!With a rod they will strike the cheekof the judge of Israel. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,who are small among the clans of Judah,out of you will come forth for MeOne to be ruler over Israel —One whose origins are of old,from the days of eternity. Therefore Israel will be abandoneduntil she who is in labor has given birth;then the rest of His brothers will returnto the children of Israel. He will stand and shepherd His flockin the strength of the LORD,in the majestic name of the LORD His God.And they will dwell securely,for then His greatness will extendto the ends of the earth. And He will be our peacewhen Assyria invades our landand tramples our citadels.We will raise against it seven shepherds,even eight leaders of men. And they will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,and the land of [Nimrod](/persons/nimrod) with the blade drawn.So He will deliver uswhen Assyria invades our landand marches into our borders. ### The Remnant of Jacob Then the remnant of Jacob will bein the midst of many peopleslike dew from the LORD,like showers on the grass,which do not wait for manor linger for mankind. Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,in the midst of many peoples,like a lion among the beasts of the forest,like a young lion among flocks of sheep,which tramples and tears as it passes through,with no one to rescue them. Your hand will be lifted over your foes,and all your enemies will be cut off. “In that day,”declares the LORD,“I will remove your horses from among youand wreck your chariots. I will remove the cities of your landand tear down all your strongholds. I will cut the sorceries from your hand,and you will have no fortune-tellers. I will also cut off the carved imagesand sacred pillars from among you,so that you will no longer bow downto the work of your own hands. I will root out the Asherah poles from your midstand demolish your cities. I will take vengeance in anger and wrathupon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”

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