Michaeas 1
1 And the word of the Lord came to Michaeas the son of Morasthi, in the days of Joatham, and Achaz, and Ezekias, kings of Juda, concerning what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem.
The word of Yahweh which came unto Micah the Morashtite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, —of which he had vision concerning Samaria, and Jerusalem: —
2 Hear [these] words, you people; and let the earth give heed, and all that are in it: and the Lord God shall be among you for a testimony, the Lord out of his holy habitation.
Hear ye peoples, all of you, Hearken, O earth and the fulness thereof, —and let My Lord Yahweh be among you for a witness, My Lord out of his holy temple.
3 For, behold, the Lord comes forth out of his place, and will come down, and will go upon the high places of the earth.
For lo! Yahweh, coming forth out of his place, —that he may descend, and march along upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains shall be shaken under him, and the valleys shall melt like wax before the fire, and as water rushing down a declivity.
Then shall the mountains be melted beneath him, and, the valleys, be cleft, —as wax before the fire, as waters poured out in a steep place.
5 All these [calamities are] for the transgression of Jacob, and for the sin of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? [is it] not Samaria? and what is the sin of the house of Juda? [is it] not Jerusalem?
For the transgression of Jacob, is all this, and for the sin of the house of Israel, —Whose is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria’s? And whose is the sin of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make Samaria [as] a store-house of the fruits of the field, and [as] a planting of a vineyard: and I will utterly demolish her stones, and I will expose her foundations.
Therefore will I make of Samaria a heap in a field, the plantings in a vineyard, —and I will pour down, into the valley, her stones, and, her foundations, will I lay bare;
7 And they shall cut in pieces all the graven images, and all that she has hired they shall burn with fire, and I will utterly destroy all her idols: because she has gathered of the hires of fornication, and of the hires of fornication has she amassed [wealth].
And, all her images, shall be beaten in pieces, and, all her rewards for unchastity, shall be burned in the fire, and, all her idols, will I make a desolation, —for, out of the reward of unchastity, she gathered [them], and, unto the reward of unchastity, shall they return.
8 Therefore shall she lament and wail, she shall go barefooted, and [being] naked she shall make lamentation as [that] of serpents, and mourning as of the daughters of sirens.
For this cause, will I lament and howl, I will go stript and bare, —I will make a lamentation, like the wild dogs, and a mourning, like ostriches.
9 For her plague has become grievous; for it has come even to Juda; and has reached to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
For dangerous are her wounds, —for she hath come as far as Judah, she hath reached as far as the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem.
10 You that are in Geth, exalt not yourselves, and you Enakim, do not rebuild from [the ruins of] the house in derision: sprinkle dust [in the place of] your laughter.
In Gath, do not tell, in Accho, do not weep, —in Beth-l’aphrah, roll yourselves in dust.
11 The inhabitant of Sennaar, fairly inhabiting her cities, came not forth to mourn for the house next to her: she shall receive of you the stroke of grief.
Pass thou over (for you), thou inhabitress of Shaphir, of disgraceful disclosure, —the inhabitress of Zaanan, hath not gone forth, at the lamentation of Beth-ezel, shall he take from you his station,
12 Who has begun [to act] for good to her that dwells in sorrow? for calamities have come down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem,
Though the inhabitress of Maroth waited for blessing, —yet there came down calamity from Yahweh, to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 [even] a sound of chariots and horsemen: the inhabitants of Lachis, she is the leader of sin to the daughter of Sion: for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.
Bind the chariot to the steed, O inhabitress of Lachish, —the beginning of sin, was she to the daughter of Zion, for, in thee, have been found the transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore shall he cause men to be sent forth as far as the inheritance of Geth, [even] vain houses; they are become vanity to the kings of Israel;
Therefore, shalt thou give a dismission, against Moresheth-gath, —The houses of Achzib, served for a deception to the kings of Israel.
15 until they bring the heirs, O inhabitant of Lachis: the inheritance shall reach to Odollam, [even] the glory of the daughter of Israel.
The time shall yet be when, the heir, I will bring unto thee, O inhabitress of Mareshah, —as far as Adullam, shall enter the glory of Israel.
16 Shave your hair, and make yourself bald for your delicate children; increase your widowhood as an eagle; for [your people] are gone into captivity from you.
Make thee bald, and cut off thy hair, for the children of thy pleasures, —enlarge thy baldness, like a vulture, for they are exiled from thee.
