Micah 4; Micah 5; Revelation 12

1 But in the days to come, the mountain of the LORD's house will be the highest of the mountains; it will be lifted above the hills; peoples will stream to it.

2 Many nations will go and say: "Come, let's go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob's God, so that he may teach us his ways and we may walk in God's paths!" Instruction will come from Zion and the LORD's word from Jerusalem.

3 God will judge between the nations and settle disputes of mighty nations, which are far away. They will beat their swords into iron plows and their spears into pruning tools. Nation will not take up sword against nation; they will no longer learn how to make war.

4 All will sit underneath their own grapevines, under their own fig trees. There will be no one to terrify them; for the mouth of the LORD of heavenly forces has spoken.

5 Each of the peoples walks in the name of their own god; but as for us, we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and always.

6 On that day, says the LORD, I will gather the lame; I will assemble those who were driven away and those whom I have harmed.

7 I will make the lame into survivors, those driven away into a mighty nation. The LORD will rule over them on Mount Zion from now on and forever.

8 As for you, Tower of Eder, hill of Daughter Zion, as for you it will come, the former dominion will come, the royal power belonging to Daughter Zion.

9 Now why do you cry out so loudly? Isn't the king in you? Or has your counselor perished, so that pain has seized you like that of a woman in labor?

10 Writhe and scream, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor! Now you will leave the city and dwell in the open field; you will go to Babylon. There you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the power of your enemies.

11 Now many nations may gather against you; they say, "Let her be defiled," or "Let our eyes look with desire at Zion."

12 But they don't know the plans of the LORD; they can't understand his scheme, namely, that he will bring them like grain to the threshing floor!

13 Arise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will make your horn out of iron; your hooves I will make out of bronze. You will crush many peoples; you will dedicate their ill-gotten gains to the LORD, their wealth to the LORD of all the earth.

1 Now muster your troops, Daughter Troop! They have laid siege against us; with a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.

2 As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, though you are the least significant of Judah's forces, one who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf will come out from you. His origin is from remote times, from ancient days.

3 Therefore, he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor gives birth. The rest of his kin will return to the people of Israel.

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. They will dwell secure, because he will surely become great throughout the earth;

5 he will become one of peace. When Assyria invades our land and treads down our fortresses, then we will raise up against him seven shepherds and eight human princes.

6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword. He will rescue us from Assyria when he invades our land and treads within our territory.

7 Then the few remaining in Jacob will be amid many peoples like dew from the LORD, like spring showers upon the grass, which does not hope for humans or wait for human ones.

8 Then the few remaining in Jacob will be among the nations, amid many peoples, like a lion among the creatures of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which when it passes by, tramples and tears to pieces with no one to deliver.

9 Your hand will be lifted over your foes; all your enemies will be cut off.

10 On that day—says the LORD— I will cut down your horses in your midst; I will destroy your chariots!

11 I will cut down the cities of your land; I will tear down your defenses!

12 I will demolish the sorceries you perform; you will have no more diviners!

13 I will cut down your images and your sacred pillars in your midst. You will no longer bow down to the works of your hands!

14 I will tear down your sacred poles in your midst; I will destroy your cities!

15 I will exact vengeance in anger and in wrath on the nations that don't obey!

1 Then a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

2 She was pregnant, and she cried out because she was in labor, in pain from giving birth.

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: it was a great fiery red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

4 His tail swept down a third of heaven's stars and threw them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child.

5 She gave birth to a son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was snatched up to God and his throne.

6 Then the woman fled into the desert, where God has prepared a place for her. There she will be taken care of for one thousand two hundred sixty days.

7 Then there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back,

8 but they did not prevail, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

9 So the great dragon was thrown down. The old snake, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to the earth; and his angels were thrown down with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, "Now the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ have come. The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down.

11 They gained the victory over him on account of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness. Love for their own lives didn't make them afraid to die.

12 Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. But oh! The horror for the earth and sea! The devil has come down to you with great rage, for he knows that he only has a short time."

13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he chased the woman who had given birth to the male child.

14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she could fly to her place in the desert. There she would be taken care of—out of the snake's reach—for a time and times and half a time.

15 Then from his mouth the snake poured a river of water after the woman so that the river would sweep her away.

16 But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon poured out of his mouth.

17 So the dragon was furious with the woman, and he went off to make war on the rest of her children, on those who keep God's commandments and hold firmly to the witness of Jesus.

18 Then the dragon stood on the seashore,