Micah

The word of GOD that came to Micah the Morashtite, who prophesied concerning Samaria and Jerusalem in the reigns of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.

Listen, all you peoples,Give heed, O earth, and all it holds;And let the Sovereign GOD be your accuser—The Sovereign from the holy abode.

For lo! GOD Is coming forth from the heavenlyathe heavenly Lit. “His.” dwelling-place—To come down and strideUpon the heights of the earth.

The mountains shall melt underfootAnd the valleys burst open—Like wax before fire,Like water cascading down a slope.

All this is for the transgression of Jacob,And for the sins of the House of Israel.What is the transgression of JacobBut Samaria,And what the shrinesbshrines Emendation yields “sins.” of JudahBut Jerusalem?

So I will turn SamariaInto a ruin in open country,Into ground for planting vineyards;For I will tumble her stones into the valleyAnd lay her foundations bare.

All her sculptured images shall be smashed,And all her prostitute’s wealthcher prostitute’s wealth I.e., the bounty of offerings dedicated to idols. be burned,And I will make a waste heap of all her idols,For they were amassed from fees for prostitution,And they shall become prostitute’s fees again.

Because of this I will lament and wail;I will go stripped and naked!I will lament as sadly as the jackals,As mournfully as the ostriches.

For the nation’sdthe nation’s Heb. “her.” wound is incurable,It has reached Judah,It has spread to the gate of my people,To Jerusalem.

eMeaning of much of vv. 10–13 uncertain. They may refer to the transfer of part of western Judah to Philistine rule by Sennacherib of Assyria in the year 701 BCE. Tell it not in Gath,Refrain from weeping;fTell it not … weeping So that enemies may not gloat; cf. 2 Sam. 1.20. In Beth-leaphrah,Strew dustgdust Heb. ʻaphar, a play on Beth-leaphrah; vv. 10–15 contain several similar puns. over your [head].

Pass on, inhabitants of Shaphir!Did not the inhabitants of ZaananHave to go forth naked in shame?There is lamentation in Beth-ezel—It will withdraw its support from you.

Though the inhabitants of MarothHoped for good,Yet disaster from GOD descendedUpon the gate of Jerusalem.

Hitch the steeds to the chariot,Inhabitant of Lachish!It is the beginningOf Fair Zion’s guilt;Israel’s transgressionsCan be traced to you!

Truly, you must give a farewell giftTo Moresheth-gath.The houses of Achzib arehThe houses of Achzib are Emendation yields “Fair Achzib is.” To the kings of IsraelLike a spring that fails.

A dispossessor will I bring to youWho dwell in Mareshah;At Adullam the gloryOf Israel shall set.

Shear off your hair and make yourself baldimake yourself bald A common rite of mourning; cf. Jer. 7.29. For the children you once delighted in;Make yourself as bald as a vulture,For they have been banished from you.