< Micah 1 >
1 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: —
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:
2 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.
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.
3 For lo! Yahweh, coming forth out of his place, —that he may descend, and march along upon the high places of the earth.
For behold, YHWH is going out from His place, And He has come down, And has trodden on high places of earth.
4 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.
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.
5 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?
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?
6 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;
“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.
7 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.
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.”
8 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.
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.
9 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.
For mortal [are] her wounds, For it has come to Judah, It has come to a gate of My people—to Jerusalem.
10 In Gath, do not tell, in Accho, do not weep, —in Beth-l’aphrah, roll yourselves in dust.
In Gath do not tell—in Acco do not weep, In Beth-Aphrah, roll yourself in dust.
11 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,
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.
12 Though the inhabitress of Maroth waited for blessing, —yet there came down calamity from Yahweh, to the gate of Jerusalem.
For the inhabitant of Maroth has stayed for good, For calamity has come down from YHWH to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 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.
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.
14 Therefore, shalt thou give a dismission, against Moresheth-gath, —The houses of Achzib, served for a deception to the kings of Israel.
Therefore you give presents to Moresheth-Gath, The houses of Achzib become a lying thing to the kings of Israel.
15 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.
Yet I bring the possessor to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah, The glory of Israel comes to Adullam.
16 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.
Make bald and shave, for your delightful sons, Enlarge your baldness as an eagle, For they have removed from you!