1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to 1 Micah of Moresheth. He delivered this message 2 during the reigns of 3 Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The prophecies pertain to 4 Samaria 5 and Jerusalem. 6
1:9 For Samaria’s 7 disease 8 is incurable.
It has infected 9 Judah;
it has spread to 10 the leadership 11 of my people
and has even contaminated Jerusalem! 12
1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth 13 hope for something good to happen, 14
though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem. 15
1:13 Residents of Lachish, 16 hitch the horses to the chariots!
You 17 influenced Daughter Zion 18 to sin, 19
for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back 20 to you!
2:9 You wrongly evict widows 21 among my people from their cherished homes.
You defraud their children 22 of their prized inheritance. 23
2:13 The one who can break through barriers will lead them out 24
they will break out, pass through the gate, and leave. 25
Their king will advance 26 before them,
The Lord himself will lead them. 27
3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, 28
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have done such wicked deeds.”
4:1 In the future 29 the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; 30
it will be more prominent than other hills. 31
People will stream to it.
4:4 Each will sit under his own grapevine
or under his own fig tree without any fear. 32
The Lord who commands armies has decreed it. 33
4:6 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather the lame,
and assemble the outcasts whom I injured. 34
4:7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation, 35
and those far off 36 into a mighty nation.
The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion,
from that day forward and forevermore.” 37
5:7 Those survivors from 38 Jacob will live 39
in the midst of many nations. 40
They will be like the dew the Lord sends,
like the rain on the grass,
that does not hope for men to come
or wait around for humans to arrive. 41
5:10 “In that day,” says the Lord,
“I will destroy 42 your horses from your midst,
and smash your chariots.
5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;
you will no longer worship what your own hands made.
6:1 Listen to what the Lord says:
“Get up! Defend yourself 43 before the mountains! 44
Present your case before the hills!” 45
6:2 Hear the Lord’s accusation, you mountains,
you enduring foundations of the earth!
For the Lord has a case against his people;
he has a dispute with Israel! 46
6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling 47 to the city!
It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! 48
Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city! 49
7:8 My enemies, 50 do not gloat 51 over me!
Though I have fallen, I will get up.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 52
7:16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by 53 all their strength,
they will put their hands over their mouths,
and act as if they were deaf. 54
1 tn Heb “The word of the
2 tn The words “he delivered this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
3 tn Heb “in the days of” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
4 tn Heb “which he saw concerning.”
5 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
6 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
7 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.
tn Or “wound.”
9 tn Heb “come to.”
10 tn Or “reached.”
11 tn Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.
12 tn Heb “to Jerusalem.” The expression “it has contaminated” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to fill out the parallelism with the preceding line.
map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
13 sn The place name Maroth sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.”
14 tc The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה (khalah; from חִיל, khil, “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה (yikhalah; from יָחַל, yakhal, “to wait”).
tn Heb “[the residents of Maroth] writhe [= “anxiously long for”?] good.”
15 tn Heb “though disaster has come down from the
16 sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”
17 tn Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.
18 sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.
19 tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”
20 tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”
21 tn Heb “women.” This may be a synecdoche of the whole (women) for the part (widows).
22 tn Heb “her little children” or “her infants”; ASV, NRSV “young children.”
23 tn Heb “from their children you take my glory forever.” The yod (י) ending on הֲדָרִי (hadariy) is usually taken as a first person common singular suffix (“my glory”). But it may be the archaic genitive ending (“glory of”) in the construct expression “glory of perpetuity,” that is, “perpetual glory.” In either case, this probably refers to the dignity or honor the
24 tn Heb “the one who breaks through goes up before them.” The verb form is understood as a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of this coming event.
25 tn The three verb forms (a perfect and two preterites with vav [ו] consecutive) indicate certitude.
sn The “fold” from which the sheep/people break out is probably a reference to their place of exile.
26 tn The verb form (a preterite with vav [ו] consecutive) indicates certitude.
27 tn Heb “the
28 tn Heb “then they will cry out to the
29 tn Heb “at the end of days.”
30 tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”
31 tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”
32 tn Heb “and there will be no one making [him] afraid.”
33 tn Heb “for the mouth of the
34 sn The exiles of the nation are compared to lame and injured sheep.
35 tn Heb “make the lame into a remnant.”
36 tn The precise meaning of this difficult form is uncertain. The present translation assumes the form is a Niphal participle of an otherwise unattested denominative verb הָלָא (hala’, “to be far off”; see BDB 229 s.v.), but attractive emendations include הַנַּחֲלָה (hannakhalah, “the sick one[s]”) from חָלָה (khalah) and הַנִּלְאָה (hannil’ah, “the weary one[s]”) from לָאָה (la’ah).
37 tn Heb “from now until forever.”
38 tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).
39 tn Heb “will be.”
40 tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).
41 tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”
sn Men wait eagerly for the dew and the rain, not vice versa. Just as the dew and rain are subject to the
42 tn Heb “cut off” (also in the following verse).
43 tn Or “plead your case” (NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “present your plea”; NLT “state your case.”
sn Defend yourself. The
44 sn As in some ancient Near Eastern treaties, the mountains are personified as legal witnesses that will settle the dispute between God and Israel.
45 tn Heb “let the hills hear your voice.”
46 tn This verse briefly interrupts the
47 tn Or “the voice of the
48 tn Heb “one who sees your name is wisdom.” It is probably better to emend יִרְאֶה (yir’eh, “he sees”) to יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fearing”). One may then translate, “fearing your name is wisdom.” The
49 tn Heb (apparently) “Listen [to] the staff and the one who appointed it.” Verse 10 then begins with עוֹד (yod, “still” or “again”). The translation assumes an emendation to שִׁמְעוּ מַטֶּה וּמוֹעֵד הָעִיר (shim’u matteh umo’ed ha’ir, “listen, O tribe and the assembly of the city”).
50 tn The singular form is understood as collective.
51 tn Or “rejoice” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “don’t laugh at me.”
52 sn Darkness represents judgment; light (also in v. 9) symbolizes deliverance. The
53 tn Or “be ashamed of.”
54 tn Heb “and their ears will be deaf.” Apparently this means the opposing nations will be left dumbfounded by the