Micah 7:12-16
Context7:12 In that day people 1 will come to you 2
from Assyria as far as 3 Egypt,
from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, 4
from the seacoasts 5 and the mountains. 6
7:13 The earth will become desolate 7
because of what its inhabitants have done. 8
7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, 9
the flock that belongs to you, 10
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland. 11
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, 12
as they did in the old days. 13
7:15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt,
I will show you 14 miraculous deeds.” 15
7:16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by 16 all their strength,
they will put their hands over their mouths,
and act as if they were deaf. 17
[7:12] 1 tn Heb “they.” The referent has been specified as “people,” referring either to the nations (coming to God with their tribute) or to the exiles of Israel (returning to the
[7:12] 2 tn The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the
[7:12] 3 tc The MT reads וְעָרֵי (vÿ’arey, “and the cities [of Egypt]”), but the parallel line indicates this is a corruption of וְעַד (vÿ’ad, “even to”).
[7:12] 4 tn Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also NASB, NIV).
[7:12] 5 tn Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם (miyyam ’ad yam, “from sea to sea”).
[7:12] 6 tn Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר (umehar ’ad har, “and mountain to mountain”).
[7:13] 7 tn Or “will be ruined.”
[7:13] 8 tn Heb “on account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.”
[7:14] 9 tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).
[7:14] 10 tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”
[7:14] 11 tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.
[7:14] 12 sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.
[7:14] 13 tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”
[7:15] 14 tn Heb “him.” This probably refers to Israel in a collective sense. Because the switch from direct address to the third person is awkward, some prefer to emend the suffix to a second person form. In any case, it is necessary to employ a second person pronoun in the translation to maintain the connection for the English reader.
[7:15] 15 sn I will show you miraculous deeds. In this verse the
[7:16] 16 tn Or “be ashamed of.”
[7:16] 17 tn Heb “and their ears will be deaf.” Apparently this means the opposing nations will be left dumbfounded by the