Add parallel Print Page Options

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed unto Jehovah, and said, I pray thee, O Jehovah, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I [a]hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Jehovah, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. And Jehovah said, [b]Doest thou well to be angry? Then Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

And Jehovah God prepared a [c]gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to deliver him from his evil case. So Jonah was exceeding glad because of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd, that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a sultry east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. 10 And Jehovah said, Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 11 and should not I have regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

The word of Jehovah that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Hear, ye peoples, all of you; hearken, O earth, and [d]all that therein is: and let the Lord Jehovah be witness [e]against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be melted under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters that are poured down a steep place. 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? Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof. 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.

For this will I lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals, and a lamentation like the ostriches. For her wounds are incurable; for it is come even unto Judah; it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. 10 Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all: at [f]Beth-le-aphrah [g]have I rolled myself in the dust. 11 Pass away, O [h]inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame: the [i]inhabitant of Zaanan is not come forth; the wailing of Beth-ezel shall take from you the [j]stay thereof. 12 For the [k]inhabitant of Maroth [l]waiteth anxiously for good, because evil is come down from Jehovah unto the gate of Jerusalem. 13 Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O [m]inhabitant of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. 14 Therefore shalt thou give a parting gift to Moresheth-gath: the houses of Achzib shall be [n]a deceitful thing unto the kings of Israel. 15 I will yet bring unto thee, O [o]inhabitant of Mareshah, him that shall possess thee: the glory of Israel shall come even unto Adullam. 16 Make thee bald, and cut off thy hair for the children of thy delight: enlarge thy baldness as the [p]eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks, neither shall ye walk haughtily; for it is an evil time. In that day shall they take up a parable against you, and lament [q]with a doleful lamentation, and say, We are utterly ruined: he changeth the portion of my people: how doth he [r]remove it from me! to the rebellious he divideth our fields. Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast the line by lot in the assembly of Jehovah.

[s]Prophesy ye not, thus they prophesy. They shall not prophesy [t]to these: reproaches shall not depart. [u]Shall it be said, O house of Jacob, Is the Spirit of Jehovah [v]straitened? are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? But [w]of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye strip the robe from off the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war. The women of my people ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their young children ye take away my glory for ever. 10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place; because of uncleanness that destroyeth, even with a grievous destruction. 11 If a man walking [x]in a spirit of falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as a flock in the midst of their pasture; they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. 13 The breaker is gone up before them: they have broken forth and passed on to the gate, and are gone out thereat; and their king is passed on before them, and Jehovah at the head of them.

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:2 Or, was beforehand in fleeing
  2. Jonah 4:4 Or, Art thou greatly angry?
  3. Jonah 4:6 Or, Palma Christi. Hebrew kikayon.
  4. Micah 1:2 Hebrew the fulness thereof.
  5. Micah 1:2 Or, among
  6. Micah 1:10 That is, A house of dust.
  7. Micah 1:10 Another reading is, roll thyself
  8. Micah 1:11 Hebrew inhabitress.
  9. Micah 1:11 Hebrew inhabitress.
  10. Micah 1:11 Or, standing-place
  11. Micah 1:12 Hebrew inhabitress.
  12. Micah 1:12 Or, is in travail for
  13. Micah 1:13 Hebrew inhabitress.
  14. Micah 1:14 Hebrew achzab.
  15. Micah 1:15 Hebrew inhabitress.
  16. Micah 1:16 Or, vulture
  17. Micah 2:4 Or, with the lamentation, It is done; and say etc.
  18. Micah 2:4 Or, depart from
  19. Micah 2:6 Or, Prophesy ye not, they are ever prophesying, say they; Hebrew Drop etc. See Am. 7:16.
  20. Micah 2:6 Or, of these things: their reproaches never cease
  21. Micah 2:7 Or, O thou that art named the house of Jacob
  22. Micah 2:7 Or, impatient Hebrew shortened.
  23. Micah 2:8 Hebrew yesterday.
  24. Micah 2:11 Or, in wind and falsehood

Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.(A) He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew(B) that you are a gracious(C) and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,(D) a God who relents(E) from sending calamity.(F) Now, Lord, take away my life,(G) for it is better for me to die(H) than to live.”(I)

But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”(J)

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided(K) a leafy plant[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.(L) When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die,(M) and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”(N)

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern(O) for the great city of Nineveh,(P) in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth(Q) during the reigns of Jotham,(R) Ahaz(S) and Hezekiah,(T) kings of Judah(U)—the vision(V) he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Hear,(W) you peoples, all of you,(X)
    listen, earth(Y) and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness(Z) against you,
    the Lord from his holy temple.(AA)

Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling(AB) place;
    he comes down(AC) and treads on the heights of the earth.(AD)
The mountains melt(AE) beneath him(AF)
    and the valleys split apart,(AG)
like wax before the fire,
    like water rushing down a slope.
All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
    because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
    Is it not Samaria?(AH)
What is Judah’s high place?
    Is it not Jerusalem?

“Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
    a place for planting vineyards.(AI)
I will pour her stones(AJ) into the valley
    and lay bare her foundations.(AK)
All her idols(AL) will be broken to pieces;(AM)
    all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
    I will destroy all her images.(AN)
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,(AO)
    as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”

Weeping and Mourning

Because of this I will weep(AP) and wail;
    I will go about barefoot(AQ) and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
    and moan like an owl.
For Samaria’s plague(AR) is incurable;(AS)
    it has spread to Judah.(AT)
It has reached the very gate(AU) of my people,
    even to Jerusalem itself.
10 Tell it not in Gath[b];
    weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[c]
    roll in the dust.
11 Pass by naked(AV) and in shame,
    you who live in Shaphir.[d]
Those who live in Zaanan[e]
    will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
    it no longer protects you.
12 Those who live in Maroth[f] writhe in pain,
    waiting for relief,(AW)
because disaster(AX) has come from the Lord,
    even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,(AY)
    harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion(AZ) began,
    for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts(BA)
    to Moresheth(BB) Gath.
The town of Akzib[g](BC) will prove deceptive(BD)
    to the kings of Israel.
15 I will bring a conqueror against you
    who live in Mareshah.[h](BE)
The nobles of Israel
    will flee to Adullam.(BF)
16 Shave(BG) your head in mourning
    for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
    for they will go from you into exile.(BH)

Human Plans and God’s Plans

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil(BI) on their beds!(BJ)
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.
They covet fields(BK) and seize them,(BL)
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud(BM) people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.(BN)

Therefore, the Lord says:

“I am planning disaster(BO) against this people,
    from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,(BP)
    for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day people will ridicule you;
    they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(BQ)
    my people’s possession is divided up.(BR)
He takes it from me!
    He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord
    to divide the land(BS) by lot.(BT)

False Prophets

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
    “Do not prophesy about these things;
    disgrace(BU) will not overtake us.(BV)
You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become[i] impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good(BW)
    to the one whose ways are upright?(BX)
Lately my people have risen up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by without a care,
    like men returning from battle.
You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.(BY)
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
    For this is not your resting place,(BZ)
because it is defiled,(CA)
    it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(CB) comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(CC)
    that would be just the prophet for this people!(CD)

Deliverance Promised

12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
    I will surely bring together the remnant(CE) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.(CF)
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before(CG) them;
    they will break through the gate(CH) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.”

Footnotes

  1. Jonah 4:6 The precise identification of this plant is uncertain; also in verses 7, 9 and 10.
  2. Micah 1:10 Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.
  3. Micah 1:10 Beth Ophrah means house of dust.
  4. Micah 1:11 Shaphir means pleasant.
  5. Micah 1:11 Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.
  6. Micah 1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter.
  7. Micah 1:14 Akzib means deception.
  8. Micah 1:15 Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.
  9. Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord