Micah 1:10

1:10 Don’t spread the news in Gath! ¹ 

Don’t shed even a single tear! ² 

In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust! ³ 

Micah 2:10

2:10 But you are the ones who will be forced to leave! ⁴ 

For this land is not secure! ⁵ 

Sin will thoroughly destroy it! ⁶ 

Micah 3:2

3:2 yet you ⁷  hate what is good, ⁸ 

and love what is evil. ⁹ 

You flay my people’s skin ¹⁰ 

and rip the flesh from their bones. ¹¹ 

Micah 4:11

4:11 Many nations have now assembled against you.

They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, ¹² 

so we can gloat over Zion!” ¹³ 

[1:10]  ¹ tn Heb “Tell it not in Gath.” The Hebrew word for “tell” (נָגַד, nagad) sounds like the name of the city, Gath (גַּת, gat).

[1:10]  ² tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.

[1:10]  ³ tc The translation assumes a masculine plural imperative. If one were to emend בְּבֵית (bÿvet) to בֵית (vet), Beth Leaphrah would then be the addressee and the feminine singular imperative (see Qere) could be retained, “O Beth Leaphrah, sit in the dust.”

[2:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “Arise and go!” These imperatives are rhetorical. Those who wrongly drove widows and orphans from their homes and land inheritances will themselves be driven out of the land (cf. Isa 5:8-17). This is an example of poetic justice.

[2:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “for this is no resting place.” The Lord speaks to the oppressors.

[2:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “uncleanness will destroy, and destruction will be severe.”

[3:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the ones who.”

[3:2]  ⁸ tn Or “good.”

[3:2]  ⁹ tn Or “evil.”

[3:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the Lord as the speaker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”

[4:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “let her be desecrated.” the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and let our eye look upon Zion.”