Mikha 2:2-3

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ¹ 

They defraud people of their homes, ² 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ³ 

2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! ⁴ 

It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. ⁵ 

You will no longer ⁶  walk proudly,

for it will be a time of catastrophe.

Mikha 6:10-12

6:10 “I will not overlook, ⁷  O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, ⁸ 

or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much. ⁹ 

6:11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales,

or a bag of deceptive weights. ¹⁰ 

6:12 The city’s rich men think nothing of resorting to violence; ¹¹ 

her inhabitants lie, ¹² 

their tongues speak deceptive words. ¹³ 

Mikha 7:3

7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil; ¹⁴ 

government officials and judges take bribes, ¹⁵ 

prominent men make demands,

and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them. ¹⁶ 

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

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

[2:2]  ³ 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.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Or “you will not.”

[6:10]  ⁷ tn The meaning of the first Hebrew word in the line is unclear. Possibly it is a combination of the interrogative particle and אִשׁ (’ish), an alternate form of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is/are”). One could then translate literally, “Are there treasures of sin [in] the house of the sinful?” The translation assumes an emendation to הַאֶשֶּׁה (ha’esheh, from נָשָׁא, nasha’, “to forget”), “Will I forget?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I will not forget.”

[6:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “the treasures of sin”; NASB “treasures of wickedness”; NIV “ill-gotten treasures.”

[6:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “the accursed scant measure.”

[6:10]  sn Merchants would use a smaller than standard measure so they could give the customer less than he thought he was paying for.

[6:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Do I acquit sinful scales, and a bag of deceptive weights?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I do not,” and has been translated as a declarative statement for clarity and emphasis.

[6:11]  sn Merchants also used rigged scales and deceptive weights to cheat their customers. See the note at Amos 8:5.

[6:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “because her rich are full of violence.”

[6:12]  ¹² tn Heb “speak lies.”

[6:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “and their tongue is deceptive in their mouth.”

[7:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”

[7:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the official asks – and the judge – for a bribe.”

[7:3]  ¹⁶ tn More literally, “the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together.” Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man’s desires materialize.