Micah 1
1 A word of YHWH that has been to Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, that he has seen concerning Samaria and Jerusalem:
The LORD’s word that came to Micah of Morasheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, O peoples, all of them! Attend, O earth, and its fullness, And Lord YHWH is against you for a witness, The Lord from His holy temple.
Hear, you peoples, all of you! Listen, O earth, and all that is therein. Let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
3 For behold, YHWH is going out from His place, And He has come down, And has trodden on high places of earth.
For behold, the LORD comes out of his place, and will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
4 The mountains have been melted under Him, And the valleys split themselves, As wax from the presence of fire, As waters cast down by a slope.
The mountains melt under him, and the valleys split apart like wax before the fire, like waters that are poured down a steep place.
5 For the transgression of Jacob [is] all this, And for the sins of the house of Israel. What [is] the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what the high places of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
“All this is for the disobedience of Jacob, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the disobedience of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria? And what are the high places of Judah? Aren’t they Jerusalem?
6 “And I have set Samaria for a heap of the field, For plantations of a vineyard, And poured out into a valley her stones, And her foundations I uncover.
Therefore I will make Samaria like a rubble heap of the field, like places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down its stones into the valley, and I will uncover its foundations.
7 And all her carved images are beaten down, And all her wages are burned with fire, And all her idols I make a desolation, For from the wage of a harlot she gathered, and to the wage of a harlot they return.”
All her idols will be beaten to pieces, all her temple gifts will be burned with fire, and I will destroy all her images; for of the hire of a prostitute has she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute shall they return.”
8 For this I lament and howl, I go spoiled and naked, I make a lamentation like dragons, And a mourning like daughters of an ostrich.
For this I will lament and wail. I will go stripped and naked. I will howl like the jackals and mourn like the ostriches.
9 For mortal [are] her wounds, For it has come to Judah, It has come to a gate of My people—to Jerusalem.
For her wounds are incurable; for it has come even to Judah. It reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
10 In Gath do not tell—in Acco do not weep, In Beth-Aphrah, roll yourself in dust.
Don’t tell it in Gath. Don’t weep at all. At Beth Ophrah I have rolled myself in the dust.
11 Pass over for you, O inhabitant of Shaphir, Naked one of shame. The inhabitant of Zaanan has not gone out, The lamentation of Beth-Ezel takes from you its standing.
Pass on, inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame. The inhabitant of Zaanan won’t come out. The wailing of Beth Ezel will take from you his protection.
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth has stayed for good, For calamity has come down from YHWH to the gate of Jerusalem.
For the inhabitant of Maroth waits anxiously for good, because evil has come down from the LORD to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Bind the chariot to a swift beast, O inhabitant of Lachish, The beginning of sin [is] she to the daughter of Zion, For in you have been found the transgressions of Israel.
Harness the chariot to the swift steed, inhabitant of Lachish. She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you give presents to Moresheth-Gath, The houses of Achzib become a lying thing to the kings of Israel.
Therefore you will give a parting gift to Moresheth Gath. The houses of Achzib will be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel.
15 Yet I bring the possessor to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah, The glory of Israel comes to Adullam.
I will yet bring a conqueror to you, inhabitants of Mareshah. The glory of Israel will come to Adullam.
16 Make bald and shave, for your delightful sons, Enlarge your baldness as an eagle, For they have removed from you!
Shave your heads, and cut off your hair for the children of your delight. Enlarge your baldness like the vulture, for they have gone into captivity from you!
