'Lord' in the Bible

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw [through divine revelation] concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Hear, O peoples, all of you;Listen closely, O earth and all that is in it,And let the Lord God be witness [giving a testimony of the judgment] against you,The Lord from His holy temple [in the heavens].

For behold, the Lord is coming down from His placeHe shall come down and tread [in judgment] on the high places of the earth.

Therefore I [the Lord] shall make Samaria a heap of ruins [and of stones and arable land] in the open country,A place for planting vineyards;And I will pour her stones down into the ravineAnd lay bare her foundations.

For Samaria’s wound is incurable,For it has come to Judah;The enemy has reached the gate of my people,Even to Jerusalem.

For the inhabitant of Maroth (Bitterness)Writhes in pain [at its losses] and waits anxiously for good,Because a catastrophe has come down from the LordTo the gate of Jerusalem.

Therefore, thus says the Lord,“Behold, I am planning against this family a disaster (exile)[Like a noose] from which you cannot remove your necks;Nor will you be able to walk haughtily and erect,For it will be an evil time [of subjugation to the invaders].

“Therefore, you will have no one stretching a measuring line [dividing the common land]For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord.

“Is it being said, O house of Jacob:‘Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient?Or are these [prophesied judgments] His doings?’Do not My words do goodTo the one walking uprightly?

“The breaker [the Messiah, who opens the way] shall go up before them [liberating them].They will break out, pass through the gate and go out;So their King goes on before them,The Lord at their head.”

Then they will cry to the Lord,But He will not answer them;Instead, He will even hide His face from them at that time [withholding His mercy]Because they have practiced and tolerated and ignored evil acts.

Thus says the Lord concerning the [false] prophets who lead my people astray;When they have something good to bite with their teeth,They call out, “Peace,”But against the one who gives them nothing to eat,They declare a holy war.

But in fact, I am filled with power,With the Spirit of the Lord,And with justice and might,To declare to Jacob his transgressionAnd to Israel his sin.

Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,Her priests teach for a fee,And her prophets foretell for money;Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,“Is not the Lord among us?No tragedy or distress will come on us.”

Therefore, on account of youZion shall be plowed like a field,Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,And the mountain of the house [of the Lord] shall become like a densely wooded hill.

But it shall come about in the last daysThat the mountain of the house of the LordShall be established as the highest and chief of the mountains;It shall be above the hills,And peoples shall flow [like a river] to it.

And many nations shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,To the house of the God of Jacob,That He may teach us about His waysAnd that we may walk in His paths.”For the law shall go forward from Zion,And the word of the Lord [the revelation about Him and His truth] from Jerusalem.

Each of them shall sit [in security and peace] under his vineAnd under his fig tree,With no one to make them afraid,For the mouth of the [omnipotent] Lord of hosts has spoken it.

For all the peoples [now] walkEach in the name of his god [in a transient relationship],As for us, we shall walk [securely]In the name of the Lord our [true] God forever and ever.

“In that day,” says the Lord,“I shall assemble the lame,And gather the outcasts [from foreign captivity],Even those whom I have caused pain.

“I shall make the lame a [godly] remnantAnd the outcasts a strong nation;And the Lord shall reign over them in Mount ZionFrom this time on and forever.

“Writhe in pain and labor to give birth,O Daughter of Zion,Like a woman in childbirth;For now you shall go out of the city,Live in the field,And go to Babylon.There you will be rescued;There the Lord shall redeem youFrom the hand of your enemies.

“But they (Gentile nations) do not know the thoughts of the Lord,Nor do they understand His purpose and plan;For He has gathered them (Gentiles) like sheaves to the threshing floor [for destruction].

“Arise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion!For I will make your horn ironAnd I will make your hoofs bronze;That you may beat many peoples in pieces [trampling down your enemies],That you may devote to the Lord their unjust gain (pagan possessions)And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

And He shall stand and shepherd and guide His flockIn the strength of the Lord,In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God;And they shall dwell [secure in undisturbed peace],Because at that time He shall be great [extending His authority][Even] to the ends of the earth.

Then the remnant of JacobShall be among many peoplesLike dew from the Lord,Like showers on the grass [a source of blessing]Which [come suddenly and] do not wait for manNor delay for the sons of men.

“And in that day,” says the Lord,“I will cut off your horses from among youAnd destroy your chariots [on which you depend].

Hear now what the Lord is saying,“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,And let the hills [as witnesses] hear your voice.

“Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord,And you enduring foundations of the earth,For the Lord has a case (a legal complaint) against His people,And He will dispute (challenge) Israel.

“My people, remember nowWhat Balak king of Moab devised [with his evil plan against Israel]And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him [turning the curse into blessing for Israel],[Remember what the Lord did for you] from Shittim to Gilgal,So that you may know the righteous and saving acts [displaying the power] of the Lord.”

With what shall I come before the Lord [to honor Him]And bow myself before God on high?Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,With yearling calves?

Will the Lord be delighted with thousands of rams,Or with ten thousand rivers of oil?Shall I present my firstborn for my acts of rebellion,The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good;And what does the Lord require of youExcept to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

The voice of the Lord shall call to the city [of Jerusalem]—And it is sound wisdom to heed [solemnly] and fear Your name [with awe-filled reverence];“Hear, O tribe [the rod of punishment]. Who has appointed its time?

But as for me, I will look expectantly for the Lord and with confidence in Him I will keep watch;I will wait [with confident expectation] for the God of my salvation.My God will hear me.

Do not rejoice over me [amid my tragedies], O my enemy!Though I fall, I will rise;Though I sit in the darkness [of distress], the Lord is a light for me.

I will bear the indignation and wrath of the LordBecause I have sinned against Him,Until He pleads my case and executes judgment for me.He will bring me out to the light,And I will behold His [amazing] righteousness and His remarkable deliverance.

Then my enemy [all the pagan nations] shall see it,And shame [for despising the Lord] will cover her who said to me,“Where is the Lord your God?”My eyes will look on her [with satisfaction at her judgment];Now she (unbelievers) will be trampled downLike mud of the streets.

They shall lick the dust like a serpent;Like crawling things of the earthThey shall come trembling out of their fortresses and hiding places.They shall turn and come with fear and dread to the Lord our GodAnd they shall be afraid and stand in awe before You [O Lord].