Micah 1:1

Introduction

1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to Micah of Moresheth. He delivered this message during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The prophecies pertain to Samaria and Jerusalem.

Micah 1:9

1:9 For Samaria’s disease is incurable.

It has infected Judah;

it has spread to 10  the leadership 11  of my people

and has even contaminated Jerusalem! 12 

Micah 1:12-13

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!

Micah 2:9

2:9 You wrongly evict widows 21  among my people from their cherished homes.

You defraud their children 22  of their prized inheritance. 23 

Micah 2:13

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 

Micah 3:4

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.”

Micah 4:1

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

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.

Micah 4:4

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 

Micah 4:6-7

Restoration Will Follow Crisis

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 

Micah 5:7

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 

Micah 5:10

The Lord Will Purify His People

5:10 “In that day,” says the Lord,

“I will destroy 42  your horses from your midst,

and smash your chariots.

Micah 5:13

5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;

you will no longer worship what your own hands made.

Micah 6:1-2

The Lord Demands Justice, not Ritual

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 

Micah 6:9

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 

Micah 7:8

Jerusalem Will Be Vindicated

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 

Micah 7:16

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 


tn Heb “The word of the Lord which came to.”

tn The words “he delivered this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

tn Heb “in the days of” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

tn Heb “which he saw concerning.”

map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.

tn Or “wound.”

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 Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.”

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 Lord bestowed on each Israelite family by giving them a share of his land to be inherited perpetually from one generation to another within each family. The term הָדָר (hadar) may refer to possessions that a person prizes (Lam 1:6).

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 Lord [will be] at their head.”

28 tn Heb “then they will cry out to the Lord.” The words “Someday these sinners” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

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 Lord of Hosts has spoken.”

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 (hannilah, “the weary one[s]”) from לָאָה (laah).

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 Lord, not men, so the remnant of Israel will succeed by the supernatural power of God and not need the support of other nations. There may even be a military metaphor here. Israel will overwhelm their enemies, just as the dew completely covers the grass (see 2 Sam 17:12). This interpretation would be consistent with the image of v. 7.

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 Lord challenges Israel to defend itself against the charges he is bringing.

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 Lord’s statement (see vv. 1, 3) as the prophet summons the mountains as witnesses. Because of this v. 2 has been placed in parentheses in the translation.

47 tn Or “the voice of the Lord is calling.” The translation understands קוֹל (qol, “voice”) as equivalent to an imperative.

48 tn Heb “one who sees your name is wisdom.” It is probably better to emend יִרְאֶה (yireh, “he sees”) to יִרְאָה (yirah, “fearing”). One may then translate, “fearing your name is wisdom.” The Lord’s “name” here stands by metonymy for his authority.

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 (shimu matteh umoed hair, “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 Lord is the source of the latter.

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 Lord’s power. Their inability to respond will make them appear to be deaf mutes.