Micah 2:2

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ¹ 

They defraud people of their homes, ² 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ³ 

Micah 3:9

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ⁴  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁵  of Israel!

You ⁶  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

Micah 1:14

1:14 Therefore you ⁷  will have to say farewell ⁸  to Moresheth Gath.

The residents ⁹  of Achzib ¹⁰  will be as disappointing

as a dried up well ¹¹  to the kings of Israel. ¹² 

Micah 2:9

2:9 You wrongly evict widows ¹³  among my people from their cherished homes.

You defraud their children ¹⁴  of their prized inheritance. ¹⁵ 

Micah 3:12

3:12 Therefore, because of you, ¹⁶  Zion will be plowed up like ¹⁷  a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,

and the Temple Mount ¹⁸  will become a hill overgrown with brush! ¹⁹ 

Micah 6:10

6:10 “I will not overlook, ²⁰  O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, ²¹ 

or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much. ²² 

Micah 1:5

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

and ²³  the sins of the nation ²⁴  of Israel.

How has Jacob rebelled, you ask? ²⁵ 

Samaria epitomizes their rebellion! ²⁶ 

Where are Judah’s pagan worship centers, you ask? ²⁷ 

They are right in Jerusalem! ²⁸ 

Micah 2:7

2:7 Does the family ²⁹  of Jacob say, ³⁰ 

‘The Lord’s patience ³¹  can’t be exhausted –

he would never do such things’? ³² 

To be sure, my commands bring a reward

for those who obey them, ³³ 

Micah 3:1

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ³⁴  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ³⁵  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ³⁶ 

Micah 4:1

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ³⁷  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ³⁸ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ³⁹ 

People will stream to it.

Micah 6:4

6:4 In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt,

I delivered you from that place of slavery.

I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. ⁴⁰ 

Micah 6:16

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,

and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; ⁴¹ 

you follow their policies. ⁴² 

Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, ⁴³ 

the city’s ⁴⁴  inhabitants will be taunted derisively, ⁴⁵ 

and nations will mock all of you.” ⁴⁶ 

Micah 7:6

7:6 For a son thinks his father is a fool,

a daughter challenges ⁴⁷  her mother,

and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law;

a man’s enemies are his own servants. ⁴⁸ 

Micah 4:2

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ⁴⁹  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ⁵⁰ 

and we can live by his laws.” ⁵¹ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ⁵² 

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

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

[2:2]  ³ 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.

[3:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).

[1:14]  ⁷ tn The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.

[1:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “you will give a dowry to”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “give parting gifts to.” Lachish is compared to a father who presents wedding gifts to his daughter as she leaves her father’s home to take up residence with her husband. In similar fashion Lachish will bid farewell to Moresheth Gath, for the latter will be taken by the invader.

[1:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.

[1:14]  ¹⁰ sn The place name Achzib (אַכְזִיב, ’akhziv, “place on the dried up river”; see HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב) creates a word play on the similar sounding term כָּזָב (kazav, “lie, deception”; HALOT 468 s.v. כָּזָב). Like the dried up river upon which its name was based, the city of Achzib would fail to help the kings of Israel in their time of need.

[1:14]  ¹¹ tn Or “will be a deception.” The term אַכְזָב (’akhzav) is often translated “deception,” as derived from the verb I כָּזָב (“to deceive, lie”; HALOT 467-68 s.v. I כזב). However, it probably means “what is dried up,” since (1) the noun elsewhere refers to an empty well or dried river in summer (Jer 15:18; cf. Job 6:15-20) (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); (2) the place-name “Achzib” (אַכְזִיב) literally means “place on the אַכְזָב [dried up river]” (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); and (3) it is derived from the verb II כָּזָב (“to dry up [brook]”; Isa 58:11), which also appears in Mishnaic Hebrew and Arabic. The point of the metaphor is that Achzib will be as disappointing to the kings of Israel as a dried up spring in the summer is to a thirsty traveler in the Jordanian desert.

[1:14]  ¹² sn Because of the enemy invasion, Achzib would not be able to deliver soldiers for the army and/or services normally rendered to the crown.

[2:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “women.” This may be a synecdoche of the whole (women) for the part (widows).

[2:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “her little children” or “her infants”; ASV, NRSV “young children.”

[2:9]  ¹² tn Heb “from their children you take my glory forever.” The yod (י) ending on הֲדָרִי (hadariy) is usually taken as a first person common singular suffix (“my glory”). But it may be the archaic genitive ending (“glory of”) in the construct expression “glory of perpetuity,” that is, “perpetual glory.” In either case, this probably refers to the dignity or honor the Lord bestowed on each Israelite family by giving them a share of his land to be inherited perpetually from one generation to another within each family. The term הָדָר (hadar) may refer to possessions that a person prizes (Lam 1:6).

[3:12]  ¹³ tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.

[3:12]  ¹⁴ tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).

[3:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[3:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”

[6:10]  ¹⁶ tn The meaning of the first Hebrew word in the line is unclear. Possibly it is a combination of the interrogative particle and אִשׁ (’ish), an alternate form of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is/are”). One could then translate literally, “Are there treasures of sin [in] the house of the sinful?” The translation assumes an emendation to הַאֶשֶּׁה (ha’esheh, from נָשָׁא, nasha’, “to forget”), “Will I forget?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I will not forget.”

[6:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the treasures of sin”; NASB “treasures of wickedness”; NIV “ill-gotten treasures.”

[6:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the accursed scant measure.”

[1:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and because of.” This was simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[1:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “What is the rebellion of Jacob?”

[1:5]  ²² 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]  ²³ tn Heb “What are Judah’s high places?”

[1:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Is it not Jerusalem?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!”

[2:7]  ²² tn Heb “house” (so many English versions); CEV “descendants.’

[2:7]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁵ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[4:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[6:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “before you.”

[6:16]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”

[6:16]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and you walk in their plans.”

[6:16]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.

[6:16]  ³⁹ tc The translation assumes an emendation of the MT’s עַמִּי (’ammi, “my people”) to עַמִּים (’ammim, “nations”).

[7:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “rises up against.”

[7:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the enemies of a man are the men of his house.”

[4:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ⁴² tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ⁴³ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”