Micah 4:3

He will arbitrate ¹  between many peoples and settle disputes between many ²  distant nations. ³  They will beat their swords into plowshares, ⁴  and their spears into pruning hooks. ⁵  Nations will not use weapons ⁶  against other nations, and they will no longer train for war.

1Sa 2:10; Ps 2:5-12; Ps 46:9; Ps 68:30,31; Ps 72:7; Ps 82:8; Ps 96:13; Ps 98:9; Ps 110:1,2,5,6; Isa 2:4; Isa 9:7; Isa 11:3-5; Isa 11:6-9; Isa 25:3; Isa 51:5; Isa 60:12; Isa 60:17,18; Isa 65:25; Da 2:44; Ho 2:18; Joe 3:2,9-16; Joe 3:10; Mic 5:15; Mic 7:16,17; Zec 9:10; Zec 12:3-6; Zec 14:3,12-19; Mt 25:31,32; Joh 5:22,23,27-29; Joh 16:8-11; Ac 17:31; Re 19:11; Re 19:17-21; Re 20:8,9

¹ tn Or “judge.”

² tn Or “mighty” (NASB); KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “strong”; TEV “among the great powers.”

³ tn Heb “[for many nations] to a distance.”

⁴ sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

⁵ sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.

⁶ tn Heb “take up the sword.”