Micah 5:5

5:5 He will give us peace. ¹ 

Should the Assyrians try to invade our land

and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, ² 

we will send ³  against them seven ⁴  shepherd-rulers, ⁵ 

make that eight commanders. ⁶ 

Micah 5:7

5:7 Those survivors from ⁷  Jacob will live ⁸ 

in the midst of many nations. ⁹ 

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. ¹⁰ 

Micah 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ¹¹ 

He wants you to ¹²  promote ¹³  justice, to be faithful, ¹⁴ 

and to live obediently before ¹⁵  your God.

[5:5]  ¹ tn Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14).

[5:5]  ² tc Some prefer to read “in our land,” emending the text to בְּאַדְמָתֵנוּ (bÿ’admatenu).

[5:5]  ³ tn Heb “raise up.”

[5:5]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “shepherds.”

[5:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and eight leaders of men.”

[5:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “will be.”

[5:7]  ⁹ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

[5:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”

[6:8]  ¹³ sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

[6:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”