Mikha 1:1

Introduction

1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to ¹  Micah of Moresheth. He delivered this message ²  during the reigns of ³  Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The prophecies pertain to ⁴  Samaria ⁵  and Jerusalem. ⁶ 

Mikha 2:11

2:11 If a lying windbag should come and say, ⁷ 

‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ ⁸ 

he would be just the right preacher for these people! ⁹ 

Mikha 1:10

1:10 Don’t spread the news in Gath! ¹⁰ 

Don’t shed even a single tear! ¹¹ 

In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust! ¹² 

Mikha 4:11

4:11 Many nations have now assembled against you.

They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, ¹³ 

so we can gloat over Zion!” ¹⁴ 

Mikha 3:8

3:8 But I ¹⁵  am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,

and have a strong commitment to justice. ¹⁶ 

This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,

and Israel with its sin. ¹⁷ 

Mikha 2:4

2:4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you –

they will mock you with this lament: ¹⁸ 

‘We are completely destroyed;

they sell off ¹⁹  the property of my people.

How they remove it from me! ²⁰ 

They assign our fields to the conqueror.’ ²¹ 

Mikha 4:2

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

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

to the temple ²²  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ²³ 

and we can live by his laws.” ²⁴ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ²⁵ 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Heb “The word of the Lord which came to.”

[1:1]  ² tn The words “he delivered this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[1:1]  ³ tn Heb “in the days of” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “which he saw concerning.”

[1:1]  ⁵ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[1:1]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “if a man, coming [as] wind and falsehood, should lie”; NASB “walking after wind and falsehood”; NIV “a liar and a deceiver.”

[2:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “I will foam at the mouth concerning wine and beer.”

[2:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “he would be the foamer at the mouth for this people.”

[1:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Tell it not in Gath.” The Hebrew word for “tell” (נָגַד, nagad) sounds like the name of the city, Gath (גַּת, gat).

[1:10]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.

[1:10]  ¹² tc The translation assumes a masculine plural imperative. If one were to emend בְּבֵית (bÿvet) to בֵית (vet), Beth Leaphrah would then be the addressee and the feminine singular imperative (see Qere) could be retained, “O Beth Leaphrah, sit in the dust.”

[1:10]  tn Heb “roll about in mourning in the dust”; or “wallow about in mourning in the dust.” The verb פָּלַשׁ (palash, “roll about in mourning [in dust]”; HALOT 935 s.v. פלשׁ) is figurative (metonymy) for sitting as an outward sign of mourning.

[1:10]  sn To sit in the dust was an outward sign of mourning. The name Beth Leaphrah means “house of dust.”

[4:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “let her be desecrated.” the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and let our eye look upon Zion.”

[3:8]  ¹⁵ sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.

[3:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the Lord, and justice and strength.” The appositional phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” explains the source of the prophet’s power. The phrase “justice and strength” is understood here as a hendiadys, referring to the prophet’s strong sense of justice.

[3:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:4]  ¹⁸ tc The form נִהְיָה (nihyah) should be omitted as dittographic (note the preceding וְנָהָה נְהִי vÿnahah nÿhiy).

[2:4]  tn Heb “one will lament [with] a lamentation [and] say.”

[2:4]  ¹⁹ tn Or “exchange.” The LXX suggests a reading יִמַּד (yimmad) from מָדַד (madad, “to measure”). In this case one could translate, “the property of my people is measured out [i.e., for resale].”

[2:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[2:4]  ²¹ tc The Hebrew term שׁוֹבֵב (shovev, “the one turning back”) elsewhere has the nuance “apostate” (cf. NASB) or “traitor” (cf. NIV). The translation assumes an emendation to שָׁבָה (shavah, “captor”).

[2:4]  tn Heb “to the one turning back he assigns our fields.”

[4:2]  ²² tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ²³ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ²⁵ 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.