Mikha 1:13

1:13 Residents of Lachish, ¹  hitch the horses to the chariots!

You ²  influenced Daughter Zion ³  to sin, ⁴ 

for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back ⁵  to you!

Mikha 2:2

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ⁶ 

They defraud people of their homes, ⁷ 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ⁸ 

Mikha 3:8

3:8 But I ⁹  am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,

and have a strong commitment to justice. ¹⁰ 

This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,

and Israel with its sin. ¹¹ 

[1:13]  ¹ sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”

[1:13]  ² tn Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.

[1:13]  ³ sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.

[1:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”

[1:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”

[2:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”

[2:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[3:8]  ⁹ sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the Lord, and justice and strength.” The appositional phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” explains the source of the prophet’s power. The phrase “justice and strength” is understood here as a hendiadys, referring to the prophet’s strong sense of justice.

[3:8]  ¹¹ 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.