Mikha 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ¹ 

He wants you to ²  promote ³  justice, to be faithful, ⁴ 

and to live obediently before ⁵  your God.

Mikha 7:18

7:18 There is no other God like you! ⁶ 

You ⁷  forgive sin

and pardon ⁸  the rebellion

of those who remain among your people. ⁹ 

You do not remain angry forever, ¹⁰ 

but delight in showing loyal love.

[6:8]  ¹ sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

[6:8]  ² tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ³ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”

[7:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”

[7:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.

[7:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “pass over.”

[7:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”

[7:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”