Micah 1
Modern English Version
1 The word of the Lord, which came to Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, all you peoples!
Listen, earth and everything in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may be a witness against you,
the Lord from His holy temple.
Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem
3 Look! The Lord is coming out from His place,
so that He might come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 The mountains will melt beneath Him,
and the valleys split apart
like wax before the fire,
like waters deluged down a slope.
5 All this because of the transgression of Jacob
and because of the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob?
Is it not Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the field
for the planting of vineyards.
I will dump her stones into the valley
and expose her foundations.
7 All her idols will be shattered,
and her gifts burned with fire,
and I will annihilate her images,
because she gathered them as the wages of a prostitute,
and as the wages of a prostitute they will again be used.
The Lament of Micah
8 Because of this I will lament and wail,
I will go about barefoot and naked;
I will howl like the jackals
and moan like owlets.
9 For her wound is mortal,
for it has come to Judah;
it has extended to the gate of my people,
to Jerusalem.
10 Do not tell it in Gath,
do not weep at all;
in Beth Ophrah,
roll around in the dust.
11 Pass on your way,
inhabitants of Shaphir, naked and ashamed;
the inhabitants of Zaanan
have not come out.
The mourning of Beth Ezel
has taken from you its foothold.
12 Indeed the inhabitants of Maroth
wait anxiously for good,
because calamity has come down from the Lord
to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the steeds,
inhabitants of Lachish.
It was the beginning of sin
to the daughter of Zion,
because in you were found
the transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts
to Moresheth Gath;
the houses of Akzib will be deception
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring a conqueror to you,
inhabitants of Mareshah;
the glory of Israel
will come to Adullam.
16 Make yourself bald and shave your head
for the children of your delight;
make yourself as bald as the eagle,
for they will go from you into exile.
Micah 1
Lexham English Bible
The Impending Doom of Samaria and Jerusalem
1 The word of Yahweh that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the kings of Judah, that he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem:
2 Hear, all you peoples;
give heed, O earth and its fullness.
And let the Lord Yahweh be against you as a witness,
the Lord from his holy temple.[a]
3 For behold, Yahweh is coming out from his place,
and he will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 The mountains will melt under him
and the valleys will burst open,
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5 All this is for the rebellion of Jacob,
and for the sins of the house of Israel.
What is the rebellion of Jacob?
Is it not Samaria?
And what are the high places of Judah?
Are they not Jerusalem?
6 So I will make Samaria as a heap of rubble in the field,
a place for planting a vineyard.
And I will pour down her stones into the valley
and uncover her foundations.
7 Then all her idols will be broken in pieces,
and all her prostitution wages will be burned in the fire,
and all her idols I will make a desolation,
For from the wage of a prostitute she gathered them,
and to the wage of a prostitute they will return.
8 On account of this I will lament and wail.
I will go about barefoot and naked.
I will make a lamentation like the jackals,
and a mourning ceremony like the ostriches.[b]
9 For her wounds are incurable,
because it has come to Judah.
It has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.
10 Do not tell it in Gath;
you must not weep at all.
In Beth-le-Aphrah
roll yourself in dust.
11 Pass on, you inhabitants of Shaphir,
in naked shame.
The inhabitants of Zaanan do not come forth;
the wailing of Beth-ha-Ezel will take its protection from you.
12 For the inhabitants of Maroth
writhed for good,
because disaster has come down from Yahweh
to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses,
O inhabitants of Lachish;
it is the beginning of sin
for the daughter of Zion,
for the transgressions of Israel
were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts
to Moresheth-Gath;
the houses of Achzib will be a deception
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring the conqueror upon you,
O inhabitants of Mareshah;
the glory of Israel
will come to Adullam.
16 Make yourselves bald
and cut off your hair
for the children of your pleasure.
Expand your baldness as the eagle,
for they will go into exile away from you.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software