Mikha 7:11-14

7:11 It will be a day for rebuilding your walls;

in that day your boundary will be extended. ¹ 

A Closing Prayer

7:12 In that day people ²  will come to you ³ 

from Assyria as far as ⁴  Egypt,

from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, ⁵ 

from the seacoasts ⁶  and the mountains. ⁷ 

7:13 The earth will become desolate ⁸ 

because of what its inhabitants have done. ⁹ 

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ¹⁰ 

the flock that belongs to you, ¹¹ 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ¹² 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ¹³ 

as they did in the old days. ¹⁴ 

[7:11]  ¹ sn Personified Jerusalem declares her confidence in vv. 8-10; in this verse she is assured that she will indeed be vindicated.

[7:12]  ² tn Heb “they.” The referent has been specified as “people,” referring either to the nations (coming to God with their tribute) or to the exiles of Israel (returning to the Lord).

[7:12]  ³ tn The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the Lord is addressed. Some emend to a feminine form and take Jerusalem as the addressee.

[7:12]  ⁴ tc The MT reads וְעָרֵי (vÿ’arey, “and the cities [of Egypt]”), but the parallel line indicates this is a corruption of וְעַד (vÿ’ad, “even to”).

[7:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also NASB, NIV).

[7:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם (miyyam ’ad yam, “from sea to sea”).

[7:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר (umehar ’ad har, “and mountain to mountain”).

[7:13]  ⁸ tn Or “will be ruined.”

[7:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “on account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.”

[7:14]  ¹⁰ tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

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