years ago when Hezekiah was king of Judah, a prophet named Micah from the town of Moresheth had said: “I, the Lord All-Powerful, say Jerusalem will be plowed under and left in ruins. Thorns will cover the mountain where the temple now stands.”

Then the leaders continued: No one put Micah to death for saying that. Instead, King Hezekiah prayed to the Lord with fear and trembling and asked him to have mercy. Then the Lord decided not to destroy Jerusalem, even though he had already said he would. People of Judah, if Jeremiah is killed, we will bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.

I am Micah from Moresheth. And this is the message about Samaria and Jerusalem that the Lord gave to me when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah.

Micah's Prayer and the Lord's Answer

Lead your people, Lord! Come and be our shepherd. Grasslands surround us, but we live in a forest. So lead us to Bashan and Gilead, and let us find pasture as we did long ago.