彌迦書 1
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional)
以色列與猶大崇邪拜像干罪受罰
1 當猶大王約坦、亞哈斯、希西家在位的時候，摩利沙人彌迦得耶和華的默示，論撒馬利亞和耶路撒冷。
2 萬民哪，你們都要聽！地和其上所有的，也都要側耳而聽！主耶和華從他的聖殿要見證你們的不是。 3 看哪，耶和華出了他的居所，降臨步行地的高處。 4 眾山在他以下必消化，諸谷必崩裂，如蠟化在火中，如水沖下山坡。 5 這都因雅各的罪過，以色列家的罪惡。雅各的罪過在哪裡呢？豈不是在撒馬利亞嗎？猶大的丘壇在哪裡呢？豈不是在耶路撒冷嗎？ 6 「所以，我必使撒馬利亞變為田野的亂堆，又作為種葡萄之處；也必將她的石頭倒在谷中，露出根基來。 7 她一切雕刻的偶像必被打碎，她所得的財物必被火燒，所有的偶像我必毀滅，因為是從妓女雇價所聚來的，後必歸為妓女的雇價。」
先知為此號啕多方居民為此哀哭
8 先知說：因此我必大聲哀號，赤腳露體而行；又要呼號如野狗，哀鳴如鴕鳥。 9 因為撒馬利亞的傷痕無法醫治，延及猶大和耶路撒冷我民的城門。 10 不要在迦特報告這事，總不要哭泣；我在伯亞弗拉滾於灰塵之中。 11 「沙斐的居民哪，你們要赤身蒙羞過去。撒南的居民不敢出來，伯以薛人的哀哭使你們無處可站。 12 瑪律的居民心甚憂急，切望得好處，因為災禍從耶和華那裡臨到耶路撒冷的城門。 13 拉吉的居民哪，要用快馬套車，錫安民[a]的罪由你而起，以色列人的罪過在你那裡顯出。 14 猶大啊，你要將禮物送給摩利設迦特。亞革悉的眾族必用詭詐待以色列諸王。 15 瑪利沙的居民哪，我必使那奪取你的來到你這裡。以色列的尊貴人[b]必到亞杜蘭。 16 猶大啊，要為你所喜愛的兒女剪除你的頭髮，使頭光禿。要大大地光禿，如同禿鷹，因為他們都被擄去離開你。」
Micah 1
EasyEnglish Bible
God will destroy the city of Samaria
1 These are the messages that the Lord gave to Micah.[a] Then Micah told them to the people during the times that Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah ruled the country called Judah. Micah was born in a small town called Moresheth. God showed Micah about what would happen to the cities called Samaria and Jerusalem.[b]
2 Listen, all of you people everywhere!
Hear this, everyone who lives on the earth!
The Lord God will speak against you.
You have done what is wrong. That is why he will speak against you.
He will speak from his special house.
3 Look! The Lord is leaving his place and he is coming down to the earth.
He will come to the high places (where you worship false gods).
He will destroy those places when he comes.
4 The mountains will melt when he comes,
like wax melts near a fire.
The valleys will also break into pieces.
They will move like water when it rushes down a hill.
5 All these bad things will happen because Jacob's people have refused to obey God.
These things will happen because Israel's people have done wrong things.
You may ask who has caused this.
It is the leaders in your capital cities, Samaria and Jerusalem.
They have kept the high places there for people to offer gifts to false gods.
6 So God says to you:
‘I will destroy Samaria so that just a few stones are lying in the fields there.[c]
Then people will plant vines in that place.[d]
I will throw the stones from the city down into the valley,
when I completely destroy all the buildings.
7 I will break all the false gods into pieces and I will destroy them.
I will burn all the gifts that the people brought for those false gods.
The people have paid so that they could have sex with bad women in those places.
Your enemies will come and they will take away this money.
They will give it to their gods in the same way.’
Micah is sad for the people in Israel and Judah
8 Because of what God has said, I will cry aloud. And I will weep.
I will walk about without shoes or clothes.
I will scream like a wild dog,
and I will cry like a bird in the night.
9 Because Samaria has such bad wounds it can never get well.
And the same will happen also to Judah's people.
The enemies have already reached the gates of my people, that is, Jerusalem itself.
10 Do not talk about this in the city of Gath.
Do not even weep there.
But you people at Beth-Leaphrah,
roll on the ground to show how sad you are.
11 You people who live in Shaphir, go on your way.
Your enemies will not let you wear any clothes while they take you away.
So you will be ashamed.
The people who live in Zaanan will be afraid to leave their city.
The people at Beth-Ezel will cry because nobody comes to help them.
12 The people at Maroth are in pain while they wait.
They were waiting and hoping for something good.
But the Lord sent only something bad.
He brought trouble even to the gates of Jerusalem.
13 You people who live in Lachish, get your chariots and horses ready to go!
You were the first people in Judah to do what is wrong.
You are exactly like Israel's people, because, like them, you refused to obey God.
14 You will need to give gifts to the people in Moresheth Gath,
because they must go away.
The houses in Akzib town will disappoint the kings of Israel.[e]
15 People in Mareshah, I (God) will bring an army against you,
to fight your town. And it will win.
And Israel's leaders will need to hide at Adullam.[f]
16 People in Judah, cut off all your hair.[g]
Make yourselves bald like vultures,[h]
because you will be very sad.
Your enemies will take your children away.
They will take your children, whom you love so much, away to another country!
Footnotes
- 1:1 When we write Lord like this, it is a special name for God. Sometimes people write it as ‘Yahweh’, or as ‘Jehovah’. It is his own name that he told Moses. See Exodus 3:14. It means ‘I am who I am’. This shows that God has always been there and he always will be there.
- 1:1 Israel's capital city was Samaria, and Judah's capital city was Jerusalem.
- 1:6 Verses 1-7 We think that Micah spoke these words at some time before 722 BC. In that year, enemies from the country called Assyria destroyed Samaria exactly as Micah had told the people earlier.
- 1:6 Vines or grapevines are plants that climb. They have small, sweet fruits called grapes.
- 1:14 The kings of Israel will get no help from Akzib town, because enemies will destroy the town.
- 1:15 Verses 10-15 In these verses, Micah says the names of towns and villages near his home, Moresheth Gath. Enemies from another country will come and fight against them. These verses may tell how Assyria's people attacked Judah's people in the year 701 BC.
- 1:16 In those days, people often cut off all their hair to show that they were very sad.
- 1:16 Vultures are large birds with bald heads.
Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.