Font Size
Micah 1-3
New American Standard Bible
Micah 1-3
New American Standard Bible
Destruction in Israel and Judah
1 The (A)word of the Lord which came to (B)Micah of Moresheth in the days of (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz, and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and which he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, you peoples, all of [a]you;
(F)Listen carefully, earth and [b]all it contains,
And may the Lord [c]God be a (G)witness against you,
The Lord from His holy temple.
3 For behold, the Lord is (H)coming forth from His place.
He will come down and (I)tread on the high places of the [d]earth.
4 (J)The mountains will melt under Him
And the valleys will be split,
Like wax before the fire,
Like water poured down a steep place.
5 All this is due to the [e]wrongdoing of Jacob
And the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the (K)[f]wrongdoing of Jacob?
Is it not (L)Samaria?
What is the (M)high [g]place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 For I will make Samaria a (N)heap of ruins [h]in the open country,
(O)Planting places for a vineyard.
I will (P)hurl her stones down into the valley,
And (Q)lay bare her foundations.
7 All of her (R)idols will be crushed,
All of her earnings will be burned with fire,
And all of her images I will make desolate;
For she collected them from a (S)prostitute’s earnings,
And to the earnings of a prostitute they will return.
8 Because of this I must mourn and wail,
I must go (T)barefoot and naked;
I must do mourning like the (U)jackals,
And a mourning like the ostriches.
9 For her (V)wound is incurable,
For (W)it has come to Judah;
It has reached the (X)gate of my people,
Even to Jerusalem.
10 (Y)Do not tell it in Gath,
Do not weep at all.
At [i]Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust in mourning.
11 [j]Go on your way, inhabitant of [k]Shaphir, in (Z)shameful nakedness.
The inhabitant of [l](AA)Zaanan does not [m]escape.
The mourning of [n]Beth-ezel: “He will take from you its [o]support.”
12 For the inhabitant of [p]Maroth
[q](AB)Waits for something good,
Because a disaster has come down from the Lord
To the (AC)gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
You inhabitant of (AD)Lachish—
She was the beginning of sin
To the daughter of Zion—
Because in you were found
The (AE)rebellious acts of Israel.
14 Therefore you will give parting (AF)gifts
In behalf of Moresheth-gath;
The houses of (AG)Achzib will become a [r](AH)deception
To the kings of Israel.
15 Moreover, I will bring on you
The one who takes possession,
You inhabitant of [s](AI)Mareshah.
The glory of Israel will enter (AJ)Adullam.
16 Shave yourself (AK)bald, yes, cut off your hair,
Because of the children of your delight;
Extend your baldness like the eagle,
For they will (AL)go from you into exile.
Woe to Oppressors
2 Woe to those who (AM)devise wrongdoing,
Who practice evil on their beds!
[t](AN)When morning comes, they do it,
Because it is in the (AO)power of their hands.
2 They (AP)covet fields, so they (AQ)seize them;
And houses, so they take them.
They [u](AR)exploit a man and his house,
A person and his inheritance.
3 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am (AS)planning against this (AT)family a catastrophe
From which you (AU)cannot remove your necks;
And you will not walk (AV)haughtily,
For it will be an (AW)evil time.
4 On that day they will (AX)take up against you a [v]song of mocking
And [w](AY)utter a song of mourning and say,
‘We are completely (AZ)destroyed!
He exchanges the share of my people;
How He removes it from me!
To the apostate He (BA)apportions our fields.’
5 Therefore you will have no one [x](BB)applying a measuring line
For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord.
6 ‘(BC)Do not prophesy,’ so they prophesy.
But if [y]they do (BD)not prophesy about these things,
(BE)Insults will not be turned back.
7 Is it being said, house of Jacob:
‘Is the Spirit of the Lord (BF)impatient?
Are these His works?’
Do My words not (BG)do good
For the one (BH)walking rightly?
8 [z]Recently My people have arisen as an (BI)enemy—
You (BJ)strip the robe off the garment
From (BK)unsuspecting passers-by,
From those returned from war.
9 You (BL)evict the women of My people,
Each one from her pleasant house.
From her children you take My (BM)splendor forever.
10 Arise and go,
For this is no place (BN)of rest
Because of the (BO)uncleanness that brings on destruction,
A painful destruction.
11 If someone walking after wind and (BP)falsehood
Had lied and said,
‘I will prophesy to you about (BQ)wine and liquor,’
He would become a prophet to (BR)this people.
12 “I will certainly (BS)assemble all of you, Jacob,
I will certainly gather the (BT)remnant of Israel.
I will put them together like sheep in the fold;
Like a flock in the midst of its pasture
They will be noisy with people.
13 The one who breaks through goes up before them;
They break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it.
So their king passes on before them,
And the Lord at their head.”
Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“(BU)Hear now, you [aa]leaders of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not for you to (BV)know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
Who (BW)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who (BX)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Smash their bones,
And (BY)chop them up as for the pot,
And as meat in a cauldron!”
4 Then they will (BZ)cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (CA)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (CB)practiced evil deeds.
5 This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who (CC)lead my people astray:
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (CD)cry out, “Peace!”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be (CE)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (CF)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be (CG)put to shame,
And the (CH)diviners will be ashamed.
Indeed, they will all (CI)cover their [ab]lips
Because there is (CJ)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand, (CK)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To (CL)make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, you (CM)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (CN)despise justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (CO)build Zion with bloodshed,
And Jerusalem with malice.
11 Her leaders pronounce (CP)judgment for a bribe,
Her (CQ)priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“(CR)Is the Lord not in our midst?
Catastrophe will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you,
(CS)Zion will be plowed like a field,
(CT)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (CU)mountain of the [ac]temple will become high places of a forest.
Footnotes
- Micah 1:2 Lit them
- Micah 1:2 Lit its fullness
- Micah 1:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Micah 1:3 Or land
- Micah 1:5 Or rebellion
- Micah 1:5 Or rebellion
- Micah 1:5 Lit places
- Micah 1:6 Lit of the field
- Micah 1:10 I.e., house of dust
- Micah 1:11 I.e., Go into captivity
- Micah 1:11 I.e., pleasantness
- Micah 1:11 I.e., going out
- Micah 1:11 Lit go out
- Micah 1:11 I.e., the house beside
- Micah 1:11 Lit standing place
- Micah 1:12 I.e., bitterness
- Micah 1:12 Or possibly has been in agony for
- Micah 1:14 Heb achzab, wordplay on Achzib
- Micah 1:15 I.e., possession
- Micah 2:1 Lit In the light of the morning
- Micah 2:2 Or oppress
- Micah 2:4 Or proverb
- Micah 2:4 Lit lament
- Micah 2:5 Lit casting
- Micah 2:6 I.e., God’s prophets
- Micah 2:8 Lit And yesterday
- Micah 3:1 Lit heads
- Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
- Micah 3:12 Lit house
Micah 1-3
New International Version
Micah 1-3
New International Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth(A) during the reigns of Jotham,(B) Ahaz(C) and Hezekiah,(D) kings of Judah(E)—the vision(F) he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear,(G) you peoples, all of you,(H)
listen, earth(I) and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness(J) against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.(K)
Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem
3 Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling(L) place;
he comes down(M) and treads on the heights of the earth.(N)
4 The mountains melt(O) beneath him(P)
and the valleys split apart,(Q)
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5 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?(R)
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.(S)
I will pour her stones(T) into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.(U)
7 All her idols(V) will be broken to pieces;(W)
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.(X)
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,(Y)
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
Weeping and Mourning
8 Because of this I will weep(Z) and wail;
I will go about barefoot(AA) and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9 For Samaria’s plague(AB) is incurable;(AC)
it has spread to Judah.(AD)
It has reached the very gate(AE) of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.
10 Tell it not in Gath[a];
weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[b]
roll in the dust.
11 Pass by naked(AF) and in shame,
you who live in Shaphir.[c]
Those who live in Zaanan[d]
will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
it no longer protects you.
12 Those who live in Maroth[e] writhe in pain,
waiting for relief,(AG)
because disaster(AH) has come from the Lord,
even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,(AI)
harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion(AJ) began,
for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts(AK)
to Moresheth(AL) Gath.
The town of Akzib[f](AM) will prove deceptive(AN)
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will bring a conqueror against you
who live in Mareshah.[g](AO)
The nobles of Israel
will flee to Adullam.(AP)
16 Shave(AQ) 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.(AR)
Human Plans and God’s Plans
2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil(AS) on their beds!(AT)
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields(AU) and seize them,(AV)
and houses, and take them.
They defraud(AW) people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.(AX)
3 Therefore, the Lord says:
“I am planning disaster(AY) against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,(AZ)
for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(BA)
my people’s possession is divided up.(BB)
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’”
False Prophets
6 “Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
“Do not prophesy about these things;
disgrace(BE) will not overtake us.(BF)”
7 You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
“Does the Lord become[h] impatient?
Does he do such things?”
“Do not my words do good(BG)
to the one whose ways are upright?(BH)
8 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.
9 You drive the women of my people
from their pleasant homes.(BI)
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
For this is not your resting place,(BJ)
because it is defiled,(BK)
it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(BL) comes and says,
‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(BM)
that would be just the prophet for this people!(BN)
Deliverance Promised
12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant(BO) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.(BP)
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before(BQ) them;
they will break through the gate(BR) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the Lord at their head.”
Leaders and Prophets Rebuked
3 Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders(BS) of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2 you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
and the flesh from their bones;(BT)
3 who eat my people’s flesh,(BU)
strip off their skin
and break their bones in pieces;(BV)
who chop(BW) them up like meat for the pan,
like flesh for the pot?(BX)”
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.(BY)
At that time he will hide his face(BZ) from them
because of the evil they have done.(CA)
5 This is what the Lord says:
“As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,(CB)
they proclaim ‘peace’(CC)
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination.(CD)
The sun will set for the prophets,(CE)
and the day will go dark for them.(CF)
7 The seers will be ashamed(CG)
and the diviners disgraced.(CH)
They will all cover(CI) their faces(CJ)
because there is no answer from God.(CK)”
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin.(CL)
9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right;(CM)
10 who build(CN) Zion with bloodshed,(CO)
and Jerusalem with wickedness.(CP)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(CQ)
her priests teach for a price,(CR)
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(CS)
Yet they look(CT) for the Lord’s support and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No disaster will come upon us.”(CU)
12 Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(CV)
the temple(CW) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(CX)
Footnotes
- Micah 1:10 Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.
- Micah 1:10 Beth Ophrah means house of dust.
- Micah 1:11 Shaphir means pleasant.
- Micah 1:11 Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.
- Micah 1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter.
- Micah 1:14 Akzib means deception.
- Micah 1:15 Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.
- Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.