Discovery BoxMicah 3:1--5:15
Context3:1 I said,
“Listen, you leaders 1 of Jacob,
you rulers of the nation 2 of Israel!
You ought to know what is just, 3
3:2 yet you 4 hate what is good, 5
and love what is evil. 6
You flay my people’s skin 7
and rip the flesh from their bones. 8
3:3 You 9 devour my people’s flesh,
strip off their skin,
and crush their bones.
You chop them up like flesh in a pot 10 –
like meat in a kettle.
3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, 11
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have done such wicked deeds.”
3:5 This is what the Lord says: “The prophets who mislead my people
are as good as dead. 12
If someone gives them enough to eat,
they offer an oracle of peace. 13
But if someone does not give them food,
they are ready to declare war on him. 14
3:6 Therefore night will fall, and you will receive no visions; 15
it will grow dark, and you will no longer be able to read the omens. 16
The sun will set on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn to darkness over their heads. 17
3:7 The prophets 18 will be ashamed;
the omen readers will be humiliated.
All of them will cover their mouths, 19
for they will receive no divine oracles.” 20
3:8 But I 21 am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,
and have a strong commitment to justice. 22
This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,
and Israel with its sin. 23
3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family 24 of Jacob,
you rulers of the nation 25 of Israel!
You 26 hate justice
and pervert all that is right.
3:10 You 27 build Zion through bloody crimes, 28
Jerusalem 29 through unjust violence.
3:11 Her 30 leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, 31
her priests proclaim rulings for profit,
and her prophets read omens for pay.
Yet they claim to trust 32 the Lord and say,
“The Lord is among us. 33
Disaster will not overtake 34 us!”
3:12 Therefore, because of you, 35 Zion will be plowed up like 36 a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the Temple Mount 37 will become a hill overgrown with brush! 38
4:1 In the future 39 the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; 40
it will be more prominent than other hills. 41
People will stream to it.
4:2 Many nations will come, saying,
“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple 42 of Jacob’s God,
so he can teach us his commands 43
and we can live by his laws.” 44
For Zion will be the source of instruction;
the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. 45
4:3 He will arbitrate 46 between many peoples
and settle disputes between many 47 distant nations. 48
They will beat their swords into plowshares, 49
and their spears into pruning hooks. 50
Nations will not use weapons 51 against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
4:4 Each will sit under his own grapevine
or under his own fig tree without any fear. 52
The Lord who commands armies has decreed it. 53
4:5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods, 54
we will follow 55 the Lord our God forever.
4:6 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather the lame,
and assemble the outcasts whom I injured. 56
4:7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation, 57
and those far off 58 into a mighty nation.
The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion,
from that day forward and forevermore.” 59
4:8 As for you, watchtower for the flock, 60
fortress of Daughter Zion 61 –
your former dominion will be restored, 62
the sovereignty that belongs to Daughter Jerusalem.
4:9 Jerusalem, why are you 63 now shouting so loudly? 64
Has your king disappeared? 65
Has your wise leader 66 been destroyed?
Is this why 67 pain grips 68 you as if you were a woman in labor?
4:10 Twist and strain, 69 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 70 you
from the power 71 of your enemies.
4:11 Many nations have now assembled against you.
They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, 72
so we can gloat over Zion!” 73
4:12 But they do not know what the Lord is planning;
they do not understand his strategy.
He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed 74 at the threshing floor.
4:13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion!
For I will give you iron horns; 75
I will give you bronze hooves,
and you will crush many nations.” 76
You will devote to the Lord the spoils you take from them,
and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler 77 of the whole earth. 78
5:1 (4:14) 79 But now slash yourself, 80 daughter surrounded by soldiers! 81
We are besieged!
With a scepter 82 they strike Israel’s ruler 83
on the side of his face.
5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 84
seemingly insignificant 85 among the clans of Judah –
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, 86
one whose origins 87 are in the distant past. 88
5:3 So the Lord 89 will hand the people of Israel 90 over to their enemies 91
until the time when the woman in labor 92 gives birth. 93
Then the rest of the king’s 94 countrymen will return
to be reunited with the people of Israel. 95
5:4 He will assume his post 96 and shepherd the people 97 by the Lord’s strength,
by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. 98
They will live securely, 99 for at that time he will be honored 100
even in the distant regions of 101 the earth.
5:5 He will give us peace. 102
Should the Assyrians try to invade our land
and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, 103
we will send 104 against them seven 105 shepherd-rulers, 106
make that eight commanders. 107
5:6 They will rule 108 the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod 109 with a drawn sword. 110
Our king 111 will rescue us from the Assyrians
should they attempt to invade our land
and try to set foot in our territory.
5:7 Those survivors from 112 Jacob will live 113
in the midst of many nations. 114
They will be like the dew the Lord sends,
like the rain on the grass,
that does not hope for men to come
or wait around for humans to arrive. 115
5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples.
They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which attacks when it passes through;
it rips its prey 116 and there is no one to stop it. 117
5:9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; 118
may all your enemies be destroyed! 119
5:10 “In that day,” says the Lord,
“I will destroy 120 your horses from your midst,
and smash your chariots.
5:11 I will destroy the cities of your land,
and tear down all your fortresses.
5:12 I will remove the sorcery 121 that you practice, 122
and you will no longer have omen readers living among you. 123
5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;
you will no longer worship what your own hands made.
5:14 I will uproot your images of Asherah 124 from your midst,
and destroy your idols. 125
5:15 I will angrily seek vengeance
on the nations that do not obey me.” 126
[3:1] 3 tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”
[3:2] 4 tn Heb “the ones who.”
[3:2] 7 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
[3:2] 8 tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”
[3:3] 8 tc The MT reads “and they chop up as in a pot.” The translation assumes an emendation of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher, “as”) to כִּשְׁאֵר (kish’er, “like flesh”).
[3:4] 10 tn Heb “then they will cry out to the
[3:5] 13 tn Heb “concerning the prophets, those who mislead my people.” The first person pronominal suffix is awkward in a quotation formula that introduces the words of the
[3:5] 14 tn Heb “those who bite with their teeth and cry out, ‘peace.’” The phrase “bite with the teeth” is taken here as idiomatic for eating. Apparently these prophets were driven by mercenary motives. If they were paid well, they gave positive oracles to their clients, but if someone could not afford to pay them, they were hostile and delivered oracles of doom.
[3:5] 15 tn Heb “but [as for the one] who does not place [food] in their mouths, they prepare for war against him.”
[3:6] 16 tn Heb “it will be night for you without a vision.”
[3:6] 17 tn Heb “it will be dark for you without divination.”
[3:6] 18 tn Heb “and the day will be dark over them.”
[3:7] 20 tn Or “the mustache,” or perhaps “the beard.” Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “cover their lips.”
[3:7] 21 tn Heb “for there will be no answer from God.”
[3:8] 22 sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the
[3:8] 23 tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the
[3:8] 24 tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[3:9] 27 tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).
[3:10] 29 tn Heb “bloodshed” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NLT “murder.”
[3:10] 30 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[3:11] 31 sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).
[3:11] 32 tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”
[3:11] 33 tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”
[3:11] 34 tn Heb “Is not the
[3:11] 35 tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”
[3:12] 34 tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.
[3:12] 35 tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).
[3:12] 36 tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
[3:12] 37 tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”
[4:1] 37 tn Heb “at the end of days.”
[4:1] 38 tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”
[4:1] 39 tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”
[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
[4:3] 44 tn Or “mighty” (NASB); KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “strong”; TEV “among the great powers.”
[4:3] 45 tn Heb “[for many nations] to a distance.”
[4:3] 46 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
[4:3] 47 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.
[4:3] 48 tn Heb “take up the sword.”
[4:4] 46 tn Heb “and there will be no one making [him] afraid.”
[4:4] 47 tn Heb “for the mouth of the
[4:5] 49 tn Heb “walk each in the name of his god.” The term “name” here has the idea of “authority.” To “walk in the name” of a god is to recognize the god’s authority as binding over one’s life.
[4:5] 50 tn Heb “walk in the name of.”
[4:6] 52 sn The exiles of the nation are compared to lame and injured sheep.
[4:7] 55 tn Heb “make the lame into a remnant.”
[4:7] 56 tn The precise meaning of this difficult form is uncertain. The present translation assumes the form is a Niphal participle of an otherwise unattested denominative verb הָלָא (hala’, “to be far off”; see BDB 229 s.v.), but attractive emendations include הַנַּחֲלָה (hannakhalah, “the sick one[s]”) from חָלָה (khalah) and הַנִּלְאָה (hannil’ah, “the weary one[s]”) from לָאָה (la’ah).
[4:7] 57 tn Heb “from now until forever.”
[4:8] 58 tn Heb “Migdal-eder.” Some English versions transliterate this phrase, apparently because they view it as a place name (cf. NAB).
[4:8] 59 sn The city of David, located within Jerusalem, is addressed as Daughter Zion. As the home of the Davidic king, who was Israel’s shepherd (Ps 78:70-72), the royal citadel could be viewed metaphorically as the watchtower of the flock.
[4:8] 60 tn Heb “to you it will come, the former dominion will arrive.”
[4:9] 61 tn The Hebrew form is feminine singular, indicating that Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, is now addressed (see v. 10). In v. 8 the tower/fortress was addressed with masculine forms, so there is clearly a shift in addressee here. “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation at the beginning of v. 9 to make this shift apparent.
[4:9] 62 tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”
[4:9] 63 tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”
[4:9] 64 tn Traditionally, “counselor” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the king mentioned in the previous line; the title points to the king’s roles as chief strategist and policy maker, both of which required extraordinary wisdom.
[4:9] 65 tn Heb “that.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is used here in a resultative sense; for this use see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
[4:9] 66 tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”
[4:10] 64 tn Or perhaps “scream”; NRSV, TEV, NLT “groan.”
[4:10] 65 tn Or “redeem” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[4:10] 66 tn Heb “hand.” The Hebrew idiom is a metonymy for power or control.
[4:11] 67 tn Heb “let her be desecrated.” the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:11] 68 tn Heb “and let our eye look upon Zion.”
[4:12] 70 tn The words “to be threshed” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation to make it clear that the
[4:13] 73 tn Heb “I will make your horn iron.”
[4:13] 74 sn Jerusalem (Daughter Zion at the beginning of the verse; cf. 4:8) is here compared to a powerful ox which crushes the grain on the threshing floor with its hooves.
[4:13] 75 tn Or “the Lord” (so many English versions); Heb “the master.”
[4:13] 76 tn Heb “and their wealth to the master of all the earth.” The verb “devote” does double duty in the parallelism and is supplied in the second line for clarification.
[5:1] 76 sn Beginning with 5:1, the verse numbers through 5:15 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 5:1 ET = 4:14 HT, 5:2 ET = 5:1 HT, 5:3 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:15 ET = 5:14 HT. From 6:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
[5:1] 77 tn The Hebrew verb גָדַד (gadad) can be translated “slash yourself” or “gather in troops.” A number of English translations are based on the latter meaning (e.g., NASB, NIV, NLT).
[5:1] 78 tn Heb “daughter of a troop of warriors.”
[5:1] 79 tn Or “staff”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “rod”; CEV “stick”; NCV “club.”
[5:1] 80 tn Traditionally, “the judge of Israel” (so KJV, NASB).
[5:2] 79 sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.
[5:2] 80 tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.
[5:2] 81 tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”
[5:2] 82 tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.
[5:2] 83 tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.
[5:3] 82 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[5:3] 83 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people of Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:3] 84 tn The words “to their enemies” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[5:3] 85 sn The woman in labor. Personified, suffering Jerusalem is the referent. See 4:9-10.
[5:3] 86 sn Gives birth. The point of the figurative language is that Jerusalem finally finds relief from her suffering. See 4:10.
[5:3] 87 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:3] 88 tn Heb “to the sons of Israel.” The words “be reunited with” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[5:4] 85 tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”
[5:4] 86 tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[5:4] 87 tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the
[5:4] 88 tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).
[5:4] 90 tn Or “to the ends of.”
[5:5] 88 tn Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14).
[5:5] 89 tc Some prefer to read “in our land,” emending the text to בְּאַדְמָתֵנוּ (bÿ’admatenu).
[5:5] 91 sn The numbers seven and eight here symbolize completeness and emphasize that Israel will have more than enough military leadership and strength to withstand the Assyrian advance.
[5:5] 93 tn Heb “and eight leaders of men.”
[5:6] 91 tn Or perhaps “break”; or “defeat.”
[5:6] 92 sn According to Gen 10:8-12, Nimrod, who was famous as a warrior and hunter, founded Assyria.
[5:6] 93 tc The MT reads “in her gates,” but the text should be emended to בַּפְּתִיחָה (baptikhah, “with a drawn sword”).
[5:6] 94 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the coming king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:7] 94 tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).
[5:7] 96 tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).
[5:7] 97 tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”
[5:8] 97 tn The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[5:8] 98 tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”
[5:9] 100 tn Heb “let your hand be lifted against your adversaries.”
[5:9] 101 tn Heb “be cut off.”
[5:10] 103 tn Heb “cut off” (also in the following verse).
[5:12] 106 tn Heb “magic charms” (so NCV, TEV); NIV, NLT “witchcraft”; NAB “the means of divination.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is uncertain, but note its use in Isa 47:9, 12.
[5:12] 107 tn Heb “from your hands.”
[5:12] 108 tn Heb “and you will not have omen-readers.”
[5:14] 109 tn Or “Asherah poles.”
[5:14] 110 tn The MT reads “your cities,” but many emend the text to צִרֶיךָ (tsirekha, “your images”) or עֲצַבֶּיךָ (’atsbbekha, “your idols”).
[5:15] 112 tn Heb “I will accomplish in anger and in rage, vengeance on the nations who do not listen.”
