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The word of the Lord, which came to Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem.

Hear, all you peoples!
    Listen, earth and everything in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may be a witness against you,
    the Lord from His holy temple.

Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Look! The Lord is coming out from His place,
    so that He might come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
The mountains will melt beneath Him,
    and the valleys split apart
like wax before the fire,
    like waters deluged down a slope.
All this because of the transgression of Jacob
    and because of the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob?
    Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah?
    Is it not Jerusalem?

Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the field
    for the planting of vineyards.
I will dump her stones into the valley
    and expose her foundations.
All her idols will be shattered,
    and her gifts burned with fire,
    and I will annihilate her images,
because she gathered them as the wages of a prostitute,
    and as the wages of a prostitute they will again be used.

The Lament of Micah

Because of this I will lament and wail,
    I will go about barefoot and naked;
I will howl like the jackals
    and moan like owlets.
For her wound is mortal,
    for it has come to Judah;
it has extended to the gate of my people,
    to Jerusalem.
10 Do not tell it in Gath,
    do not weep at all;
in Beth Ophrah,
    roll around in the dust.
11 Pass on your way,
    inhabitants of Shaphir, naked and ashamed;
the inhabitants of Zaanan
    have not come out.
The mourning of Beth Ezel
    has taken from you its foothold.
12 Indeed the inhabitants of Maroth
    wait anxiously for good,
because calamity has come down from the Lord
    to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the steeds,
    inhabitants of Lachish.
It was the beginning of sin
    to the daughter of Zion,
because in you were found
    the transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts
    to Moresheth Gath;
the houses of Akzib will be deception
    to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror to you,
    inhabitants of Mareshah;
the glory of Israel
    will come to Adullam.
16 Make yourself bald and shave your head
    for the children of your delight;
make yourself as bald as the eagle,
    for they will go from you into exile.

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth(A) during the reigns of Jotham,(B) Ahaz(C) and Hezekiah,(D) kings of Judah(E)—the vision(F) he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Hear,(G) you peoples, all of you,(H)
    listen, earth(I) and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness(J) against you,
    the Lord from his holy temple.(K)

Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling(L) place;
    he comes down(M) and treads on the heights of the earth.(N)
The mountains melt(O) beneath him(P)
    and the valleys split apart,(Q)
like wax before the fire,
    like water rushing down a slope.
All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
    because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
    Is it not Samaria?(R)
What is Judah’s high place?
    Is it not Jerusalem?

“Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
    a place for planting vineyards.(S)
I will pour her stones(T) into the valley
    and lay bare her foundations.(U)
All her idols(V) will be broken to pieces;(W)
    all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
    I will destroy all her images.(X)
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,(Y)
    as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”

Weeping and Mourning

Because of this I will weep(Z) and wail;
    I will go about barefoot(AA) and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
    and moan like an owl.
For Samaria’s plague(AB) is incurable;(AC)
    it has spread to Judah.(AD)
It has reached the very gate(AE) of my people,
    even to Jerusalem itself.
10 Tell it not in Gath[a];
    weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[b]
    roll in the dust.
11 Pass by naked(AF) and in shame,
    you who live in Shaphir.[c]
Those who live in Zaanan[d]
    will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
    it no longer protects you.
12 Those who live in Maroth[e] writhe in pain,
    waiting for relief,(AG)
because disaster(AH) has come from the Lord,
    even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,(AI)
    harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion(AJ) began,
    for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts(AK)
    to Moresheth(AL) Gath.
The town of Akzib[f](AM) will prove deceptive(AN)
    to the kings of Israel.
15 I will bring a conqueror against you
    who live in Mareshah.[g](AO)
The nobles of Israel
    will flee to Adullam.(AP)
16 Shave(AQ) your head in mourning
    for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
    for they will go from you into exile.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. Micah 1:10 Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.
  2. Micah 1:10 Beth Ophrah means house of dust.
  3. Micah 1:11 Shaphir means pleasant.
  4. Micah 1:11 Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.
  5. Micah 1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter.
  6. Micah 1:14 Akzib means deception.
  7. Micah 1:15 Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.