Micah 1:6

1:6 “I will turn Samaria ¹  into a heap of ruins in an open field –

vineyards will be planted there! ² 

I will tumble ³  the rubble of her stone walls ⁴  down into the valley,

and tear down her fortifications to their foundations. ⁵ 

Micah 2:2

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ⁶ 

They defraud people of their homes, ⁷ 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ⁸ 

Micah 3:12

3:12 Therefore, because of you, ⁹  Zion will be plowed up like ¹⁰  a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,

and the Temple Mount ¹¹  will become a hill overgrown with brush! ¹² 

Micah 2:4

2:4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you –

they will mock you with this lament: ¹³ 

‘We are completely destroyed;

they sell off ¹⁴  the property of my people.

How they remove it from me! ¹⁵ 

They assign our fields to the conqueror.’ ¹⁶ 

Micah 4:10

4:10 Twist and strain, ¹⁷  Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor!

For you will leave the city

and live in the open field.

You will go to Babylon,

but there you will be rescued.

There the Lord will deliver ¹⁸  you

from the power ¹⁹  of your enemies.

[1:6]  ¹ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[1:6]  ² tn Heb “into a planting place for vineyards.”

[1:6]  ³ tn Heb “pour” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, NRSV “pour down”; NAB “throw down”; NLT “roll.”

[1:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “her stones.” The term stones is a metonymy for the city walls whose foundations were constructed of stone masonry.

[1:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will uncover her foundations.” The term “foundations” refers to the lower courses of the stones of the city’s outer fortification walls.

[2:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”

[2:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[3:12]  ¹¹ tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.

[3:12]  ¹² tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).

[3:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[3:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”

[2:4]  ¹⁶ tc The form נִהְיָה (nihyah) should be omitted as dittographic (note the preceding וְנָהָה נְהִי vÿnahah nÿhiy).

[2:4]  ¹⁷ tn Or “exchange.” The LXX suggests a reading יִמַּד (yimmad) from מָדַד (madad, “to measure”). In this case one could translate, “the property of my people is measured out [i.e., for resale].”

[2:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[2:4]  ¹⁹ tc The Hebrew term שׁוֹבֵב (shovev, “the one turning back”) elsewhere has the nuance “apostate” (cf. NASB) or “traitor” (cf. NIV). The translation assumes an emendation to שָׁבָה (shavah, “captor”).

[4:10]  ²¹ tn Or perhaps “scream”; NRSV, TEV, NLT “groan.”

[4:10]  ²² tn Or “redeem” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[4:10]  ²³ tn Heb “hand.” The Hebrew idiom is a metonymy for power or control.