Micah 4:7

4:7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation, ¹ 

and those far off ²  into a mighty nation.

The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion,

from that day forward and forevermore.” ³ 

Micah 4:9

4:9 Jerusalem, why are you ⁴  now shouting so loudly? ⁵ 

Has your king disappeared? ⁶ 

Has your wise leader ⁷  been destroyed?

Is this why ⁸  pain grips ⁹  you as if you were a woman in labor?

Micah 5:1

5:1 (4:14) ¹⁰  But now slash yourself, ¹¹  daughter surrounded by soldiers! ¹² 

We are besieged!

With a scepter ¹³  they strike Israel’s ruler ¹⁴ 

on the side of his face.

[4:7]  ¹ tn Heb “make the lame into a remnant.”

[4:7]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “from now until forever.”

[4:9]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”

[4:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”

[4:9]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”

[5:1]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “daughter of a troop of warriors.”

[5:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “staff”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “rod”; CEV “stick”; NCV “club.”

[5:1]  ¹¹ tn Traditionally, “the judge of Israel” (so KJV, NASB).