Micah 6; Micah 7; Revelation 13

1 Now hear what the Lord says: "Get up; plead your case in front of the mountains; let the hills hear your story.

2 Mountains, listen to the Lord's legal case. Foundations of the earth, listen. The Lord has a legal case against his people, and he will accuse Israel."

3 He says, "My people, what did I do to you? How did I make you tired of me? Tell me.

4 I brought you from the land of Egypt and freed you from slavery; I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to you.

5 My people, remember the evil plans of Balak king of Moab and what Balaam son of Beor told Balak. so that you will know the Lord does what is right!"

6 You say, "What can I bring with me when I come before the Lord, when I bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand male sheep? Will he be pleased with ten thousand rivers of oil? Should I give my first child for the evil I have done? Should I give my very own child for my sin?"

8 The Lord has told you, human, what is good; he has told you what he wants from you: to do what is right to other people, love being kind to others, and live humbly, obeying your God.

9 The voice of the Lord calls to the city, and the wise person honors him. So pay attention to the rod of punishment; pay attention to the One who threatens to punish.

10 Are there still in the wicked house wicked treasures and the cursed false measure?

11 Can I forgive people who cheat others with wrong weights and scales?

12 The rich people of the city do cruel things. Its people tell lies; they do not tell the truth.

13 As for me, I will make you sick. I will attack you, ruining you because of your sins.

14 You will eat, but you won't become full; you will still be hungry and empty. You will store up, but save nothing, and what you store up, the sword will destroy.

15 You will plant, but you won't harvest. You will step on your olives, but you won't get any oil from them. You will crush the grapes, but you will not drink the new wine.

16 This is because you obey the laws of King Omri and do all the things that Ahab's family does; you follow their advice. So I will let you be destroyed. The people in your city will be laughed at, and other nations will make fun of you.

1 Poor me! I am like a hungry man, and all the summer fruit has been picked -- there are no grapes left to eat, none of the early figs I love.

2 All of the faithful people are gone; there is not one good person left in this country. Everyone is waiting to kill someone; everyone is trying to trap someone else.

3 With both hands they are doing evil. Rulers ask for money, and judges' decisions are bought for a price. Rich people tell what they want, and they get it.

4 Even the best of them is like a thornbush; the most honest of them is worse than a prickly plant. The day that your watchmenn warned you about has come. Now they will be confused.

5 Don't believe your neighbor or trust a friend. Don't say anything, even to your wife.

6 A son will not honor his father, a daughter will turn against her mother, and a daughter-in-law will be against her mother-in-law; a person's enemies will be members of his own family.

7 Israel says, "I will look to the Lord for help. I will wait for God to save me; my God will hear me.

8 Enemy, don't laugh at me. I have fallen, but I will get up again. I sit in the shadow of trouble now, but the Lord will be a light for me.

9 I sinned against the Lord, so he was angry with me, but he will defend my case in court. He will bring about what is right for me. Then he will bring me out into the light, and I will see him set things right.

10 Then my enemies will see this, and they will be ashamed, those who said to me, 'Where is the Lord your God?' I will look down on them. They will get walked on, like mud in the street."

11 The time will come when your walls will be built again, when your country will grow.

12 At that time your people will come back to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, and from Egypt to the Euphrates River, and from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.

13 The earth will be ruined for the people who live in it because of their deeds.

14 So shepherd your people with your stick; tend the flock of people who belong to you. That flock now lives alone in the forest in the middle of a garden land. as in days long ago.

15 "As in the days when I brought you out of Egypt, I will show them miracles."

16 When the nations see those miracles, they will no longer brag about their power. They will put their hands over their mouths, refusing to listen.

17 They will crawl in the dust like a snake, like insects crawling on the ground. They will come trembling from their holes to the Lord our God and will turn in fear before you.

18 There is no God like you. You forgive those who are guilty of sin; you don't look at the sins of your people who are left alive. You will not stay angry forever, because you enjoy being kind.

19 You will have mercy on us again; you will conquer our sins. You will throw away all our sins into the deepest part of the sea.

20 You will be true to the people of Jacob, and you will be kind to the people of Abraham as you promised to our ancestors long ago.

1 Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and there was a crown on each horn. A name against God was written on each head.

2 This beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear's feet and a mouth like a lion's mouth. And the dragon gave the beast all of his power and his throne and great authority.

3 One of the heads of the beast looked as if it had been killed by a wound, but this death wound was healed. Then the whole world was amazed and followed the beast.

4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given his power to the beast. And they also worshiped the beast, asking, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against it?"

5 The beast was allowed to say proud words and words against God, and it was allowed to use its power for forty-two months.

6 It used its mouth to speak against God, against God's name, against the place where God lives, and against all those who live in heaven.

7 It was given power to make war against God's holy people and to defeat them. It was given power over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

8 And all who live on earth will worship the beast -- all the people since the beginning of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life. The Lamb is the One who was killed.

9 Anyone who has ears should listen:

10 If you are to be a prisoner, then you will be a prisoner. If you are to be killed with the sword, then you will be killed with the sword. This means that God's holy people must have patience and faith.

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.

12 This beast stands before the first beast and uses the same power the first beast has. By this power it makes everyone living on earth worship the first beast, who had the death wound that was healed.

13 And the second beast does great miracles so that it even makes fire come down from heaven to earth while people are watching.

14 It fools those who live on earth by the miracles it has been given the power to do. It does these miracles to serve the first beast. The second beast orders people to make an idol to honor the first beast, the one that was wounded by the deadly sword but sprang to life again.

15 The second beast was given power to give life to the idol of the first one so that the idol could speak. And the second beast was given power to command all who will not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

16 The second beast also forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark on their right hand or on their forehead.

17 No one could buy or sell without this mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This takes wisdom. Let the one who has understanding find the meaning of the number, which is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.