Micah 1
English Standard Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah (A)of Moresheth (B)in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw (C)concerning (D)Samaria and Jerusalem.
The Coming Destruction
2 (E)Hear, you peoples, all of you;[a]
(F)pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,
and (G)let the Lord God be a witness against you,
(H)the Lord from his holy temple.
3 For behold, (I)the Lord is coming out of (J)his place,
and will come down and (K)tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And (L)the mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for (M)the transgression of Jacob
and for the sins of the house of Israel.
(N)What is the transgression of Jacob?
Is it not (O)Samaria?
And what is (P)the high place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make (Q)Samaria (R)a heap in the open country,
a place for planting vineyards,
and I will pour down her stones (S)into the valley
and (T)uncover her foundations.
7 All (U)her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,
(V)all her wages shall be burned with fire,
and all her idols I will lay waste,
for from (W)the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,
and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.
8 (X)For this I will lament and wail;
I will go (Y)stripped and naked;
I will make lamentation (Z)like the jackals,
and mourning (AA)like the ostriches.
9 (AB)For her wound is incurable,
and it has come to Judah;
it has reached to the gate of my people,
to Jerusalem.
10 (AC)Tell it not in (AD)Gath;
weep not at all;
in Beth-le-aphrah
(AE)roll yourselves in the dust.
11 Pass on your way,
inhabitants of Shaphir,
(AF)in nakedness and shame;
the inhabitants of Zaanan
do not come out;
the lamentation of Beth-ezel
shall take away from you its standing place.
12 For the inhabitants of Maroth
wait anxiously for good,
because disaster has come down (AG)from the Lord
to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the steeds to the chariots,
inhabitants of (AH)Lachish;
it was the beginning of sin
to the daughter of Zion,
for in you were found
(AI)the transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore you shall give parting gifts[b]
to (AJ)Moresheth-gath;
the houses of (AK)Achzib shall be a deceitful thing
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring (AL)a conqueror to you,
inhabitants of (AM)Mareshah;
the glory of Israel
shall come to (AN)Adullam.
16 (AO)Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair,
for the children of your delight;
(AP)make yourselves as bald as the eagle,
for they shall go from you into exile.
Footnotes
- Micah 1:2 Hebrew all of them
- Micah 1:14 Or give dowry
Micah 1
1599 Geneva Bible
Micah
1 1 The destruction of Judah and Jerusalem because of the idolatry.
1 The word of the Lord, that came unto Micah the [a]Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria, and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, [b]all ye people: hearken thou, O earth, and all that therein is, and let the Lord God be witness against you, even the Lord from his holy Temple.
3 For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place, and will come [c]down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains shall melt under him (so shall the valleys cleave) as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured downward.
5 For the wickedness of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel: what is the wickedness of Jacob? Is not [d]Samaria? and which are the high [e]places of Judah? Is not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and for the planting of a vineyard, and I will cause the stones thereof to tumble down into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
7 And all the graven images thereof shall be broken, and all the [f]gifts thereof shall be burnt with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I destroy: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return [g]to the wages of an harlot.
8 Therefore I will mourn and howl: I will go without clothes, and naked: I will make lamentation like the dragons, and mourning as the ostriches.
9 For her plagues are grievous: for it is come into Judah: the enemy is come unto the gate of my people, unto Jerusalem.
10 Declare ye it not at [h]Gath, neither weep ye: for the house of [i]Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
11 Thou that dwellest at [j]Shaphir, go together naked with shame: she that dwelleth at Zaanan, shall not come forth in the mourning of Beth Ezel: the enemy shall [k]receive of you for his standing.
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited for good, but evil came from the Lord unto the [l]gate of Jerusalem.
13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the beasts [m]of price: she [n]is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth [o]Gath: the houses of Achzib shall be as a lie to the kings of Israel.
15 Yet will I bring an [p]heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah, he shall come unto Adullam, [q]the glory of Israel.
16 Make thee bald: and shave thee for thy delicate children: enlarge thy baldness as the eagle, for they are gone into captivity from thee.
Footnotes
- Micah 1:1 Born in Moresheth, a city of Judah.
- Micah 1:2 Because of the malice and obstinacy of the people, whom he had so oft exhorted to repentance, he summoneth them to God’s judgments, taking all creatures, and God himself to witness, that the preaching of his Prophets, which they have abused, shall be revenged.
- Micah 1:3 Meaning hereby, that God will come to judgment against the strong cities and holds.
- Micah 1:5 Samaria, which should have been an example to all Israel of true religion and justice, was the puddle, and stews of all idolatry and corruption, and boasted themselves of their father Jacob.
- Micah 1:5 That is, the idolatry and infection.
- Micah 1:7 Which they gathered by evil practices, and thought that their idols had enriched them therewith for their service unto them.
- Micah 1:7 The gain that came by their idols shall be consumed as a thing of naught: for as the wages or riches of harlots are wickedly gotten, so are they vilely and speedily spent.
- Micah 1:10 Lest the Philistines our enemies rejoice at our destruction.
- Micah 1:10 Which was a city near to Jerusalem, Josh. 18:23, there called Ophrah, and signifieth dust: therefore he willeth them to mourn and roll themselves in the dust, for their dusty city.
- Micah 1:11 These were cities whereby the enemy should pass as he came to Judah.
- Micah 1:11 He shall not depart before he hath overcome you, and so you shall pay for his tarrying.
- Micah 1:12 For Rabshakeh had shut up Jerusalem, that they could not send to succor them.
- Micah 1:13 To flee away: for Sennacherib laid siege first to that city, and re-mained therein when he sent his captains and army against Jerusalem.
- Micah 1:13 Thou first receivedst the idolatry of Jeroboam, and so didst infect Jerusalem.
- Micah 1:14 Thou shalt bribe the Philistines thy neighbors, but they shall deceive thee, as well as they of Jerusalem.
- Micah 1:15 He prophesieth against his own city: and because it signified an heritage, he saith that God would send an heir to possess it.
- Micah 1:15 For so they thought themselves for the strength of their city.
Micah 1
King James Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, all ye people; 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, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the 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 are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.
8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing.
12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem.
13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.
15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.
16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.

