Micah

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.

1This is the message the LORD gave to Micah. Micah came from the town of Moresheth. He was a prophet, someone who tells people what God says. He got this message while Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. It was about the cities Samaria and Jerusalem.

2Hear, 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.

2Listen, all you people everywhere. Listen, earth, and everyone living on you. The Lord GOD will speak against you from his holy temple.

3For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

3Look! The LORD is coming out from where he lives. He will come down and walk on the highest places on earth.

4And 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.

4The mountains will melt under him. The valleys will split open. It will be like wax melting near a fire. It will be like water rushing down a steep hill.

5For 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?

5All this is happening because Jacob's family did wrong. The people of Israel sinned. What is Jacob's wrong? It is the city Samaria. Where does Judah worship false gods? In Jerusalem.

6Therefore 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.

6So I will turn Samaria into a pile of stones out in a field. It will become a place to plant grapevines. I will dump her stones down into the valley. I will dig up the bottoms of her walls.

7And 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.

7All her carved statues will be smashed to pieces. Everything she was paid will be burned in the fire. I will wreck all her idols. She collected them like the pay of a prostitute. That pay will go back to prostitutes again.

NoteA prostitute is a woman who is paid to have sex. Prophets often used this picture when talking about a city that left God for idols.

8Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.

8Because of this I will cry out loud and moan. I will walk around with no shoes and no clothes. I will howl like a wild dog. I will make sad sounds like a big bird.

NoteThe KJV says "dragons" and "owls." The Hebrew words mean jackals, which are wild dogs, and ostriches, which are very large birds. Both make loud, sad-sounding cries.

9For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

9Her wound is too deep to heal. The trouble has come all the way to Judah. It has reached the gate of my people, right up to Jerusalem.

10Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.

10Do not tell about it in the town of Gath. Do not cry there at all. In the town of Beth-leaphrah, roll in the dust to show you are sad.

NoteIn Hebrew, each town's name sounds like the thing said about it. Beth-leaphrah sounds like "house of dust," so the people roll in dust. Shaphir sounds like "pretty." Zaanan sounds like "come out." Maroth sounds like "bitter." Achzib sounds like "lie." The joke of the names does not carry over into English.

11Pass 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.

11People of Shaphir, you will be marched away with no clothes on. People of Zaanan will not come out of their town. The town of Beth-ezel is crying. It cannot hold you up anymore.

12For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.

12The people of Maroth waited and hoped for good news. But trouble came down from the LORD to the gate of Jerusalem.

13O 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.

13People of Lachish, hitch your fast horses to the chariot. A chariot is a cart that horses pull. You were the first to lead Jerusalem into sin. The wrong things Israel did were found in you too.

14Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

14So you must send goodbye gifts to the town of Moresheth-gath. The town of Achzib will let the kings of Israel down.

15Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.

15People of Mareshah, I will bring someone to take your town from you. Israel's finest will come to the place called Adullam.

16Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

16Shave your head bare. Cut off your hair because your dear children are gone. Make your head as bare as a vulture. Your children are being taken far away.

NoteLong ago, people shaved their heads to show everyone that they were very sad. The KJV says "eagle," but the bird meant here is a vulture, which has a bare head.