Micah 3
English Standard Version
Rulers and Prophets Denounced
3 And I said:
(A)Hear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
(B)Is it not for you to know justice?—
2 you (C)who hate the good and love the evil,
(D)who tear the skin from off my people[a]
and their flesh from off their bones,
3 (E)who eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
and chop them up like meat in a pot,
like flesh in a cauldron.
4 (F)Then they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not answer them;
(G)he will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning (H)the prophets
who lead my people astray,
(I)who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore (J)it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
(K)The sun shall go down on the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 (L)the seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
(M)they shall all cover their lips,
for (N)there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, (O)I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob (P)his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 (Q)Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
(R)who detest justice
and make crooked all that is straight,
10 (S)who build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 (T)Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
(U)its priests teach for a price;
(V)its prophets practice divination for money;
(W)yet they lean on the Lord and (X)say,
“Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
(Y)No disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
(Z)Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem (AA)shall become a heap of ruins,
and (AB)the mountain of the house (AC)a wooded height.
Footnotes
- Micah 3:2 Hebrew from off them
Micah 3
Modern English Version
Leaders and Prophets Judged
3 Then I said:
Listen now, heads of Jacob,
and rulers of the house of Israel.
Should you not know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
who tear the skin from My people
and the flesh from their bones;
3 you who have eaten the flesh of My people,
and have flayed their skin from them,
and broken their bones in pieces;
who have chopped them up like meat in the pot,
and like flesh in the cauldron.
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but He will not answer them;
He will hide His face from them at that time,
because they have wrought evil deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord:
Regarding the prophets
who mislead My people—
the ones who have something to eat
proclaim “Peace,”
but if one does not feed them,
then they prepare for war against him.
6 Therefore you will have night without vision,
and you will have darkness without divination;
the sun will set upon the prophets,
and black upon them will be the day.
7 The seers will be shamed
and the diviners disgraced,
and they will all cover their beards,
for there is no answer from God.
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
and to Israel his sin.
9 Please hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
who detest justice
and warp all that is straight,
10 who build Zion with bloodguilt
and Jerusalem with wickedness.
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets practice divination for money.
Yet upon the Lord they lean, saying,
“Is not the Lord in our midst?
Evil will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will be mounds of ruins,
and the mountain of the house will become wooded heights.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
