Micah 6:3

6:3 “My people, how have I wronged you? ¹ 

How have I wearied you? Answer me!

Micah 2:8-9

2:8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people. ² 

You steal a robe from a friend, ³ 

from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war. ⁴ 

2:9 You wrongly evict widows ⁵  among my people from their cherished homes.

You defraud their children ⁶  of their prized inheritance. ⁷ 

Micah 1:2

The Judge is Coming

1:2 Listen, all you nations! ⁸ 

Pay attention, all inhabitants of earth! ⁹ 

The sovereign Lord will testify ¹⁰  against you;

the Lord will accuse you ¹¹  from his majestic palace. ¹² 

Micah 1:9

1:9 For Samaria’s ¹³  disease ¹⁴  is incurable.

It has infected ¹⁵  Judah;

it has spread to ¹⁶  the leadership ¹⁷  of my people

and has even contaminated Jerusalem! ¹⁸ 

Micah 2:11

2:11 If a lying windbag should come and say, ¹⁹ 

‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ ²⁰ 

he would be just the right preacher for these people! ²¹ 

Micah 3:3

3:3 You ²²  devour my people’s flesh,

strip off their skin,

and crush their bones.

You chop them up like flesh in a pot ²³  –

like meat in a kettle.

Micah 4:1

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ²⁴  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ²⁵ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ²⁶ 

People will stream to it.

Micah 4:5

4:5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods, ²⁷ 

we will follow ²⁸  the Lord our God forever.

Micah 6:2

6:2 Hear the Lord’s accusation, you mountains,

you enduring foundations of the earth!

For the Lord has a case against his people;

he has a dispute with Israel! ²⁹ 

Micah 6:16

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,

and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; ³⁰ 

you follow their policies. ³¹ 

Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, ³² 

the city’s ³³  inhabitants will be taunted derisively, ³⁴ 

and nations will mock all of you.” ³⁵ 

Micah 7:14

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ³⁶ 

the flock that belongs to you, ³⁷ 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ³⁸ 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ³⁹ 

as they did in the old days. ⁴⁰ 

Micah 2:4

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

they will mock you with this lament: ⁴¹ 

‘We are completely destroyed;

they sell off ⁴²  the property of my people.

How they remove it from me! ⁴³ 

They assign our fields to the conqueror.’ ⁴⁴ 

Micah 3:5

3:5 This is what the Lord says: “The prophets who mislead my people

are as good as dead. ⁴⁵ 

If someone gives them enough to eat,

they offer an oracle of peace. ⁴⁶ 

But if someone does not give them food,

they are ready to declare war on him. ⁴⁷ 

Micah 4:3

4:3 He will arbitrate ⁴⁸  between many peoples

and settle disputes between many ⁴⁹  distant nations. ⁵⁰ 

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ⁵¹ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ⁵² 

Nations will not use weapons ⁵³  against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Micah 4:13

4:13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion!

For I will give you iron horns; ⁵⁴ 

I will give you bronze hooves,

and you will crush many nations.” ⁵⁵ 

You will devote to the Lord the spoils you take from them,

and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler ⁵⁶  of the whole earth. ⁵⁷ 

Micah 5:7-8

5:7 Those survivors from ⁵⁸  Jacob will live ⁵⁹ 

in the midst of many nations. ⁶⁰ 

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. ⁶¹ 

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 ⁶²  and there is no one to stop it. ⁶³ 

Micah 6:5

6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, ⁶⁴ 

how Balaam son of Beor responded to him.

Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal,

so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.” ⁶⁵ 

[6:3]  ¹ tn Heb “My people, what have I done to you?”

[2:8]  ² tc Heb “Recently my people rise up as an enemy.” The MT is problematic in light of v. 9, where “my people” are the object of oppression, not the perpetrators of it. The form וְאֶתְמוּל (vÿ’etmul, “and recently”) is probably the product of fusion and subsequent suppression of an (ע) ayin. The translation assumes an emendation to וְאַתֶּם עַל (vÿ’attem ’al, “and you against [my people]”). The second person plural pronoun fits well with the second plural verb forms of vv. 8b-10. If this emendation is accepted, then יְקוֹמֵם (yÿqomem, the imperfect of קוּם [qum]) should be emended to קָמִים (qamim; a participle from the same root).

[2:8]  ³ tc Heb “From the front of a garment glory [or perhaps, “a robe”] you strip off,” but this makes little if any sense. The term מִמּוּל (mimmul, “from the front of”) is probably the product of dittography (note the preceding word, which ends in [ם] mem) and subsequent suppression of ע (ayin). The translation assumes an emendation to מֵעַל (me’al, “from upon”). The translation also assumes an emendation of שַׂלְמָה אֶדֶר (salmah ’eder, “a garment, glory [or robe]”) to שֹׁלְמִים אֲדֶרֶת (sholÿmim ’aderet, “[from] a friend the robe [you strip off]”). The MT’s אֶדֶר (’eder) is the result of misdivision (the article has erroneously been attached to the preceding word) and haplography (of the final tav, which also begins the following word).

[2:8]  ⁴ tc The passive participle שׁוּבֵי (shuvey) is unattested elsewhere and should be emended to a participle שָׁבִים (shavim).

[2:9]  ³ tn Heb “women.” This may be a synecdoche of the whole (women) for the part (widows).

[2:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “her little children” or “her infants”; ASV, NRSV “young children.”

[2:9]  ⁵ 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).

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “O peoples, all of them.”

[1:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “O earth and all its fullness”; KJV “and all that therein is.”

[1:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “May the sovereign Lord testify against you.” The verb וִיהִי (vihiy) is jussive, which normally conveys a volitional sense of an urgent request or prayer (“may he testify!”). However, GKC 325-26 §109.k notes that here the jussive form is used without any volitional sense for the ordinary imperfect, as a rhythmic shortening at the beginning of a sentence, thus removed as far as possible from the principal accent (cf. Gen 49:17; Deut 28:8; 1 Sam 10:5; 2 Sam 5:24; Hos 6:1; 11:4; Amos 5:14; Zeph 2:13; Zech 9:5; Pss 72:16-17; 104:31; Job 18:12; 20:23, 26, 28; 27:8; 33:21; 34:37; Ruth 3:4). Thus, the translation here renders the jussive as an ordinary imperfect. Some translations render it in a traditional jussive sense: (1) urgent request: “And let my Lord God be your accuser” (NJPS); or (2) dependent purpose/result: “that the Sovereign Lord may witness against you” (NIV).

[1:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “the Lord from his majestic palace.” Since the verb is omitted it is unclear whether the implied term be supplied from the preceding line (“he will testify against you”) or the following line (“he is leaving”). So the line may be rendered “the Lord will accuse you from his majestic temple” or “the Lord will come forth from his majestic temple.” Most translations render it literally, but some remove the ambiguity: “the Lord God accuses you from his holy temple” (CEV); “He speaks from his holy temple” (TEV).

[1:2]  ⁸ tn Or “his holy temple” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to the Lord’s dwelling in heaven, however, rather than the temple in Jerusalem (note the following verse, which describes a theophany).

[1:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁶ tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.

[1:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “come to.”

[1:9]  ⁸ tn Or “reached.”

[1:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.

[1:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to Jerusalem.” The expression “it has contaminated” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to fill out the parallelism with the preceding line.

[2:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “if a man, coming [as] wind and falsehood, should lie”; NASB “walking after wind and falsehood”; NIV “a liar and a deceiver.”

[2:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “I will foam at the mouth concerning wine and beer.”

[2:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “he would be the foamer at the mouth for this people.”

[3:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “who.”

[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”).

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:5]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “walk in the name of.”

[6:2]  ¹⁰ tn This verse briefly interrupts the Lord’s statement (see vv. 1, 3) as the prophet summons the mountains as witnesses. Because of this v. 2 has been placed in parentheses in the translation.

[6:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”

[6:16]  ¹² tn Heb “and you walk in their plans.”

[6:16]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.

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

[7:14]  ¹² tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ¹⁴ tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.

[7:14]  ¹⁵ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”

[2:4]  ¹³ tc The form נִהְיָה (nihyah) should be omitted as dittographic (note the preceding וְנָהָה נְהִי vÿnahah nÿhiy).

[2:4]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[2:4]  ¹⁶ 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”).

[3:5]  ¹⁴ 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 Lord. For this reason some prefer to begin the quotation after “the Lord says” (cf. NIV), but this leaves “concerning the prophets” hanging very awkwardly at the beginning of the quotation. It is preferable to add הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) at the beginning of the quotation, right after the graphically similar יְהוָה (yÿhvah; see D. R. Hillers, Micah [Hermeneia], 44). The phrase הוֹי עַל (hoy ’al, “woe upon”) occurs in Jer 50:27 and Ezek 13:3 (with “the prophets” following the preposition in the latter instance).

[3:5]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “but [as for the one] who does not place [food] in their mouths, they prepare for war against him.”

[4:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “judge.”

[4:3]  ¹⁶ tn Or “mighty” (NASB); KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “strong”; TEV “among the great powers.”

[4:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “[for many nations] to a distance.”

[4:3]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn Heb “take up the sword.”

[4:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I will make your horn iron.”

[4:13]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the Lord” (so many English versions); Heb “the master.”

[4:13]  ¹⁹ 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.

[5:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “will be.”

[5:7]  ¹⁹ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

[5:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”

[5:8]  ¹⁸ tn The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”

[6:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “remember what Balak…planned.”

[6:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “From Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the Lord.” Something appears to be missing at the beginning of the line. The present translation supplies the words, “Recall how you went.” This apparently refers to how Israel crossed the Jordan River (see Josh 3:1; 4:19-24).