Mikha 1:10

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

Don’t shed even a single tear! ² 

In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust! ³ 

Mikha 3:8

3:8 But I ⁴  am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,

and have a strong commitment to justice. ⁵ 

This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,

and Israel with its sin. ⁶ 

Mikha 6:8

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

and what the Lord really wants from you: ⁷ 

He wants you to ⁸  promote ⁹  justice, to be faithful, ¹⁰ 

and to live obediently before ¹¹  your God.

Mikha 4:2

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

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

to the temple ¹²  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ¹³ 

and we can live by his laws.” ¹⁴ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ¹⁵ 

[1:10]  ¹ 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]  ² tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.

[1:10]  ³ 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.”

[3:8]  ⁴ sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.

[3:8]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.

[6:8]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”

[4:2]  ¹² tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ¹⁵ 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.