Micah 1:5

1:5 All this is because of Jacob’s rebellion

and ¹  the sins of the nation ²  of Israel.

How has Jacob rebelled, you ask? ³ 

Samaria epitomizes their rebellion! ⁴ 

Where are Judah’s pagan worship centers, you ask? ⁵ 

They are right in Jerusalem! ⁶ 

Micah 1:11

1:11 Residents ⁷  of Shaphir, ⁸  pass by in nakedness and humiliation! ⁹ 

The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. ¹⁰ 

Beth Ezel ¹¹  mourns, ¹² 

“He takes from you what he desires.” ¹³ 

Micah 2:7

2:7 Does the family ¹⁴  of Jacob say, ¹⁵ 

‘The Lord’s patience ¹⁶  can’t be exhausted –

he would never do such things’? ¹⁷ 

To be sure, my commands bring a reward

for those who obey them, ¹⁸ 

Micah 3:1

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ¹⁹  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ²⁰  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ²¹ 

Micah 4:1

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ²²  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ²³ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ²⁴ 

People will stream to it.

Micah 6:16

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,

and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; ²⁵ 

you follow their policies. ²⁶ 

Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, ²⁷ 

the city’s ²⁸  inhabitants will be taunted derisively, ²⁹ 

and nations will mock all of you.” ³⁰ 

[1:5]  ¹ tn Heb “and because of.” This was simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ² tn Heb “house.”

[1:5]  ³ tn Heb “What is the rebellion of Jacob?”

[1:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “Is it not Samaria?” The negated rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!” To make this clear the question has been translated as a strong affirmative statement.

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “What are Judah’s high places?”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “Is it not Jerusalem?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!”

[1:11]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew participial form, which is feminine singular, is here used in a collective sense for the all the residents of the town. See GKC 394 §122.s.

[1:11]  ⁸ sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ⁹ tn The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.

[1:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.”

[1:11]  ¹¹ sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ¹² tn Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).

[1:11]  ¹³ tc The form עֶמְדָּתוֹ (’emdato) should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ (khamadto, “his (the conqueror’s) desire”).

[2:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “house” (so many English versions); CEV “descendants.’

[2:7]  ¹⁴ 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).

[2:7]  ¹⁵ 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.

[2:7]  ¹⁶ 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.

[2:7]  ¹⁷ 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?”

[3:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[4:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[6:16]  ³¹ tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”

[6:16]  ³² tn Heb “and you walk in their plans.”

[6:16]  ³³ tn The Hebrew term שַׁמָּה (shammah) can refer to “destruction; ruin,” or to the reaction it produces in those who witness the destruction.

[6:16]  ³⁴ tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:16]  ³⁵ tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.

[6:16]  ³⁶ tc The translation assumes an emendation of the MT’s עַמִּי (’ammi, “my people”) to עַמִּים (’ammim, “nations”).