Micah 2:7

2:7 Does the family ¹  of Jacob say, ² 

‘The Lord’s patience ³  can’t be exhausted –

he would never do such things’? ⁴ 

To be sure, my commands bring a reward

for those who obey them, ⁵ 

Micah 6:2

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! ⁶ 

Micah 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ⁷ 

He wants you to ⁸  promote ⁹  justice, to be faithful, ¹⁰ 

and to live obediently before ¹¹  your God.

¹ tn Heb “house” (so many English versions); CEV “descendants.’

² tc The MT has אָמוּר (’amur), an otherwise unattested passive participle, which is better emended to אָמוֹר (’amor), an infinitive absolute functioning as a finite verb (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמַר).

³ tn The Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruach) often means “Spirit” when used of the Lord, but here it seems to have an abstract sense, “patience.” See BDB 925 s.v. 3.d.

⁴ tn Heb “Has the patience of the Lord run short? Or are these his deeds?” The rhetorical questions expect the answer, “No, of course not.” The people contest the prophet’s claims that the Lord’s judgment is falling on the nation.

⁵ tn Heb “Do not my words accomplish good for the one who walks uprightly?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they do!” The Lord begins his response to the claim of the house of Jacob that they are immune to judgment (see v. 7a). He points out that the godly are indeed rewarded, but then he goes on to show that those in the house of Jacob are not godly and can expect divine judgment, not blessing (vv. 8-11). Some emend “my words” to “his words.” In this case, v. 7b is a continuation of the immediately preceding quotation. The people, thinking they are godly, confidently ask, “Do not his [God’s] words accomplish good for the one who walks uprightly?”

⁶ 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.

¹¹ sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

¹² tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

¹³ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”