Mikha 5:4

5:4 He will assume his post ¹  and shepherd the people ²  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ³ 

They will live securely, ⁴  for at that time he will be honored ⁵ 

even in the distant regions of ⁶  the earth.

Mikha 6:16

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,

and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; ⁷ 

you follow their policies. ⁸ 

Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, ⁹ 

the city’s ¹⁰  inhabitants will be taunted derisively, ¹¹ 

and nations will mock all of you.” ¹² 

Mikha 1:11

1:11 Residents ¹³  of Shaphir, ¹⁴  pass by in nakedness and humiliation! ¹⁵ 

The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. ¹⁶ 

Beth Ezel ¹⁷  mourns, ¹⁸ 

“He takes from you what he desires.” ¹⁹ 

Mikha 4:1-2

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ²⁰  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ²¹ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ²² 

People will stream to it.

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ²³  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ²⁴ 

and we can live by his laws.” ²⁵ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ²⁶ 

Mikha 6:14

6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied.

Even if you have the strength ²⁷  to overtake some prey, ²⁸ 

you will not be able to carry it away; ²⁹ 

if you do happen to carry away something,

I will deliver it over to the sword.

[5:4]  ¹ tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ² tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ³ tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ⁴ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ⁶ tn Or “to the ends of.”

[6:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”

[6:16]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.

[6:16]  ¹² 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.

[1:11]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew participial form, which is feminine singular, is here used in a collective sense for the all the residents of the town. See GKC 394 §122.s.

[1:11]  ¹⁴ sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ¹⁵ tn The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.

[1:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.”

[1:11]  sn The expression can’t leave their city alludes to a siege of the town. The place name Zaanan sounds like the verb “come out” (i.e., “can’t leave”) in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ¹⁷ sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).

[1:11]  ¹⁹ tc The form עֶמְדָּתוֹ (’emdato) should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ (khamadto, “his (the conqueror’s) desire”).

[1:11]  tn The precise meaning of the line is uncertain. The translation assumes: (a) the subject of the third masculine singular verb יִקַּח (yiqqakh, “he/it takes”) is the conqueror, (b) the second masculine plural suffix (“you”) on the preposition מִן (min, “from”) refers to the residents of Shaphir and Zaanan, (c) the final form עֶמְדָּתוֹ should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ, “his (the conqueror’s) desire.”

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ²² tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:2]  ²³ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[4:2]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:14]  ²⁷ tc The first Hebrew term in the line (וְיֶשְׁחֲךָ, vÿyeshkhakha) is obscure. HALOT 446 s.v. יֶשַׁח understands a noun meaning “filth,” which would yield the translation, “and your filth is inside you.” The translation assumes an emendation to כֹּחַ-וְיֶשׁ (vÿyesh-koakh, “and [if] there is strength inside you”).

[6:14]  ²⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term וְתַסֵּג (vÿtasseg) is unclear. The translation assumes it is a Hiphal imperfect from נָסַג/נָשַׂג (nasag/nasag, “reach; overtake”) and that hunting imagery is employed. (Note the reference to hunger in the first line of the verse.) See D. R. Hillers, Micah (Hermeneia), 80.

[6:14]  ²⁹ tn The Hiphal of פָּלַט (palat) is used in Isa 5:29 of an animal carrying its prey to a secure place.