Micah 1
1 The word of the Lord which came to Micah the Morashtite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah: his vision about Samaria and Jerusalem.
This is the word of Yahweh that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Give ear, you peoples, all of you; give attention, O earth and everything in it: let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy Temple.
Listen, all you peoples. Listen, earth, and all that is in you. Let the Lord Yahweh be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
3 For see, the Lord is coming out from his place, and will come down, stepping on the high places of the earth.
Look, Yahweh comes out of his place; he will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains will be turned to water under him, and the deep valleys will be broken open, like wax before the fire, like waters flowing down a slope.
The mountains will melt under him; the valleys will break apart, like wax before fire, like waters that are poured down a steep place.
5 All this is because of the wrongdoing of Jacob and the sins of the children of Israel. What is the wrongdoing of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
All this is because of the Jacob's transgression, and because of the sins of the house of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah's high place? Is it not Jerusalem?
6 So I will make Samaria into a field and the plantings of a vine-garden: I will send its stones falling down into the valley, uncovering its bases.
“I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field, a place for planting vineyards, and I will pour her stones down into the valley and I will uncover her foundations.
7 And all her pictured images will be hammered into bits, and all the payments for her loose ways will be burned with fire, and all the images of her gods I will make waste: for with the price of a loose woman she got them together, and as the price of a loose woman will they be given back.
All her carved figures will be broken to pieces, and all her gifts that she received will be burned with fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, they will become the wages of prostitutes again.”
8 For this I will be full of sorrow and give cries of grief; I will go uncovered and unclothed: I will give cries of grief like the jackals and will be in sorrow like the ostriches.
For this reason I will lament and wail; I will go barefoot and naked; I will wail like the jackals and mourn like owls.
9 For her wounds may not be made well: for it has come even to Judah, stretching up to the doorway of my people, even to Jerusalem.
For her wound is incurable, for it has come to Judah. It has reached the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.
10 Give no word of it in Gath, let there be no weeping at all: at Beth-le-aphrah be rolling in the dust.
Do not tell about it in Gath; do not weep at all. At Beth Leaphrah I roll myself in the dust.
11 Be uncovered and go away, you who are living in Shaphir: the one living in Zaanan has not come out of her town; Beth-ezel is taken away from its base, even from its resting-place.
Pass by, inhabitants of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame. The inhabitants of Zaanan do not come out. Beth Ezel mourns, for their protection is taken away.
12 For the one living in Maroth is waiting for good: for evil has come down from the Lord to the doorways of Jerusalem.
For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good news, because disaster has come down from Yahweh to the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Let the war-carriage be yoked to the quick-running horse, you who are living in Lachish: she was the first cause of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the wrongdoings of Israel were seen in you.
Harness the chariot to the team of horses, inhabitants of Lachish. You, Lachish, were the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 For this cause give a parting offering to Moresheth-gath: the daughter of Achzib will be a deceit to the king of Israel.
So you will give a parting gift to Moresheth Gath; the town of Akzib will disappoint the kings of Israel.
15 Even now will the taker of your heritage come to you, you who are living in Mareshah: the glory of Israel will come to destruction for ever.
I will again bring a conqueror to you, inhabitants of Mareshah; the splendor of Israel will come to Adullam.
16 Let your head be uncovered and your hair cut off in sorrow for the children of your delight: let the hair be pulled from your head like an eagle's; for they have been taken away from you as prisoners.
Shave your head and cut off your hair for the children in whom you delight. Make yourself as bald as eagles, for your children will go into exile from you.
