Micah 1:13

1:13 Residents of Lachish, ¹  hitch the horses to the chariots!

You ²  influenced Daughter Zion ³  to sin, ⁴ 

for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back ⁵  to you!

Micah 2:3

2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! ⁶ 

It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. ⁷ 

You will no longer ⁸  walk proudly,

for it will be a time of catastrophe.

Micah 3:6

3:6 Therefore night will fall, and you will receive no visions; ⁹ 

it will grow dark, and you will no longer be able to read the omens. ¹⁰ 

The sun will set on these prophets,

and the daylight will turn to darkness over their heads. ¹¹ 

Micah 5:3

5:3 So the Lord ¹²  will hand the people of Israel ¹³  over to their enemies ¹⁴ 

until the time when the woman in labor ¹⁵  gives birth. ¹⁶ 

Then the rest of the king’s ¹⁷  countrymen will return

to be reunited with the people of Israel. ¹⁸ 

[1:13]  ¹ sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”

[1:13]  ² 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.

[1:13]  ³ sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.

[1:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”

[1:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Or “you will not.”

[3:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “it will be night for you without a vision.”

[3:6]  ¹² tn Heb “it will be dark for you without divination.”

[3:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the day will be dark over them.”

[5:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people of Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:3]  ¹⁸ tn The words “to their enemies” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:3]  ¹⁹ sn The woman in labor. Personified, suffering Jerusalem is the referent. See 4:9-10.

[5:3]  ²⁰ sn Gives birth. The point of the figurative language is that Jerusalem finally finds relief from her suffering. See 4:10.

[5:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:3]  ²² tn Heb “to the sons of Israel.” The words “be reunited with” are supplied in the translation for clarity.