Mikha 2:3

2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! ¹ 

It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. ² 

You will no longer ³  walk proudly,

for it will be a time of catastrophe.

Mikha 5:5

5:5 He will give us peace. ⁴ 

Should the Assyrians try to invade our land

and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, ⁵ 

we will send ⁶  against them seven ⁷  shepherd-rulers, ⁸ 

make that eight commanders. ⁹ 

Mikha 6:16

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,

and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; ¹⁰ 

you follow their policies. ¹¹ 

Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, ¹² 

the city’s ¹³  inhabitants will be taunted derisively, ¹⁴ 

and nations will mock all of you.” ¹⁵ 

Mikha 7:14

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ¹⁶ 

the flock that belongs to you, ¹⁷ 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ¹⁸ 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ¹⁹ 

as they did in the old days. ²⁰ 

[2:3]  ¹ tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”

[2:3]  ² 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]  ³ tn Or “you will not.”

[5:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14).

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

[5:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “raise up.”

[5:5]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “shepherds.”

[5:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “and eight leaders of men.”

[6:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”

[6:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and you walk in their plans.”

[6:16]  sn The Omride dynasty, of which Ahab was the most infamous king, had a reputation for implementing unjust and oppressive measures. See 1 Kgs 21.

[6:16]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.

[6:16]  ¹⁵ tc The translation assumes an emendation of the MT’s עַמִּי (’ammi, “my people”) to עַמִּים (’ammim, “nations”).

[6:16]  tn Heb “and the reproach of my people you will bear.” The second person verb is plural here, in contrast to the singular forms used in vv. 13-15.

[7:14]  ¹⁶ tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ¹⁸ tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.

[7:14]  sn The point seems to be that Israel is in a vulnerable position, like sheep in a thicket populated by predators, while rich pastureland (their homeland and God’s blessings) is in view.

[7:14]  ¹⁹ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”