Micah 4 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

In the days still ahead, the mountain where Yahweh's house stands will be set at the head of the mountains, lifted higher than the hills, and the peoples will come streaming up to it like a river running uphill.

Many nations will set out and say: Come on, let us climb Yahweh's mountain, up to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us how he goes about things, and we will walk his roads. Because the teaching goes out from Zion, the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

He will settle the arguments between many peoples, and hand down rulings for strong nations a long way off. They will hammer their swords into blades for the plough and their spears into hooks for pruning vines. Nation will not lift a sword against nation. They will not train for war anymore.

Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and nobody will be there to frighten them. The mouth of Yahweh who commands armies has said it.

All the peoples walk, each in the name of its own god. We will walk in the name of Yahweh our God for as long as there is time.

On that day, Yahweh says, I will gather in the ones who limp and bring together the ones who were driven off, the ones I hurt myself.

I will make the ones who limp into what survives, and the ones sent far away into a strong nation. Yahweh will be king over them on Mount Zion from that day and on without end.

And you, tower where the flock is watched, high ground of daughter Zion, it is coming back to you. The rule you had at the start will come back, the kingship of daughter Jerusalem.

So why are you screaming now? Is there no king in you? Has your adviser died, that the pain has taken hold of you like a woman in labour?

Twist and cry out, daughter Zion, like a woman in labour, because you have to leave the city now and camp in open country. You will go as far as Babylon. There you will be pulled out of it. There Yahweh will buy you back out of the grip of your enemies.

Right now many nations are massed against you, saying, Let her be dragged through the dirt. Let us watch Zion get what is coming.

But they do not know what Yahweh is thinking. They have not worked out his plan: he has gathered them in like cut sheaves onto the threshing floor.

Get up and start threshing, daughter Zion. I will give you a horn of iron and hooves of bronze, and you will grind many peoples to dust. What they took by force I will hand over to Yahweh, their wealth for the Master of the whole earth.