< 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 WORD of the LORD 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 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, ye peoples, all of you; Hearken, O earth, and all that therein is; and 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 cometh forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon 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.
And the mountains shall be molten under Him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, as 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?
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 are the high places of Judah? are they not 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 a heap in the field, a place for the planting of vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof.
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.”
And all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her hires shall be burned with fire, and all her idols will I lay desolate; for of the hire of a harlot hath she gathered them, and unto the hire of a harlot 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 will I wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals, and a mourning 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 wound is incurable; for it is come even unto Judah; it reacheth unto 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.
Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all; at Beth-le-aphrah roll thyself 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 ye away, O inhabitant of Saphir, in nakedness and shame; the inhabitant of Zaanan is not come forth; the wailing of Beth-ezel shall take from you the standing-place thereof.
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 waiteth anxiously for good; because evil is come down from the LORD unto 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.
Bind the chariots to the swift steeds, O inhabitant of Lachish; she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel are found in thee.
14 Therefore you give presents to Moresheth-Gath, The houses of Achzib become a lying thing to the kings of Israel.
Therefore shalt thou give a parting gift to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing unto 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 unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah, him that shall possess thee; the glory of Israel shall come even unto Adullam.
16 Make bald and shave, for your delightful sons, Enlarge your baldness as an eagle, For they have removed from you!
Make thee bald, and poll thee for the children of thy delight; enlarge thy baldness as the vulture; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

< Micah 1 >