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Isaiah 22-23
New English Translation

The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem

22 This is an oracle[a] about the Valley of Vision:[b]
What is the reason[c]
that all of you go up to the rooftops?
2 The noisy city is full of raucous sounds;
the town is filled with revelry.[d]
Your slain were not cut down by the sword;
they did not die in battle.[e]
3 [f] All your leaders ran away together—
they fled to a distant place;
all your refugees[g] were captured together—
they were captured without a single arrow being shot.[h]
4 So I say:
“Don’t look at me![i]
I am weeping bitterly.
Don’t try[j] to console me
concerning the destruction of my defenseless people.”[k]
5 For the Sovereign[l] Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
has planned a day of panic, defeat, and confusion.[m]
In the Valley of Vision[n] people shout[o]
and cry out to the hill.[p]
6 The Elamites picked up the quiver,
and came with chariots and horsemen;[q]
the men of Kir[r] prepared[s] the shield.[t]
7 Your very best valleys were full of chariots;[u]
horsemen confidently took their positions[v] at the gate.
8 They[w] removed the defenses[x] of Judah.
At that time[y] you looked
for the weapons in the House of the Forest.[z]
9 You saw the many breaks
in the walls of the City of David;[aa]
you stored up water in the lower pool.
10 You counted the houses in Jerusalem,
and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.[ab]
11 You made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool—
but you did not trust in[ac] the one who made it;[ad]
you did not depend on[ae] the one who formed it long ago.
12 At that time the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies called for weeping and mourning,
for shaved heads and sackcloth.[af]
13 But look, there is outright celebration![ag]
You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine.
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”[ah]

14 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies told me this:[ai] “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,”[aj] says the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

15 This is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace,[ak] and tell him:[al]
16 ‘What right do you have to be here? What relatives do you have buried here?[am]
Why[an] do you chisel out a tomb for yourself here?
He chisels out his burial site in an elevated place,
he carves out his tomb on a cliff.
17 Look, the Lord will throw you far away,[ao] you mere man![ap]
He will wrap you up tightly.[aq]
18 He will wind you up tightly into a ball
and throw you into a wide, open land.[ar]
There you will die,
and there with you will be your impressive chariots,[as]
which bring disgrace to the house of your master.[at]
19 I will remove you from[au] your office;
you will be thrown down[av] from your position.

20 “‘At that time[aw] I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. 21 I will put your robe on him, tie your belt around him, and transfer your authority to him.[ax] He will become a protector of[ay] the residents of Jerusalem and of the people[az] of Judah. 22 I will place the key[ba] to the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens the door, no one can close it; when he closes the door, no one can open it. 23 I will fasten him like a peg into a solid place;[bb] he will bring honor and respect to his father’s family.[bc] 24 His father’s family will gain increasing prominence because of him,[bd] including the offspring and the offshoots.[be] All the small containers, including the bowls and all the jars, will hang from this peg.’[bf]

25 “At that time,”[bg] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “the peg fastened into a solid place will come loose. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut off.”[bh] Indeed,[bi] the Lord has spoken.

The Lord Will Judge Tyre

23 This is an oracle[bj] about Tyre:
Wail, you large ships,[bk]
for the port is too devastated to enter![bl]
From the land of Cyprus[bm] this news is announced to them.
2 Lament,[bn] you residents of the coast,
you merchants of Sidon who travel over the sea,
whose agents sail over 3 the deep waters.[bo]
Grain from the Shihor region,[bp]
crops grown near the Nile[bq] she receives;[br]
she is the trade center[bs] of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, O Sidon,
for the sea[bt] says this, O fortress of the sea:
“I have not gone into labor
or given birth;
I have not raised young men
or brought up young women.”[bu]
5 When the news reaches Egypt,
they will be shaken by what has happened to Tyre.[bv]
6 Travel to Tarshish!
Wail, you residents of the coast!
7 Is this really your boisterous city[bw]
whose origins are in the distant past,[bx]
and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?
8 Who planned this for royal Tyre,[by]
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are the dignitaries[bz] of the earth?
9 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies planned it—
to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty,[ca]
to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.
10 Daughter Tarshish, travel back to your land, as one crosses the Nile;
there is no longer any marketplace in Tyre.[cb]
11 The Lord stretched out his hand over the sea,[cc]
he shook kingdoms;
he[cd] gave the order
to destroy Canaan’s fortresses.[ce]
12 He said,
“You will no longer celebrate,
oppressed[cf] virgin daughter Sidon!
Get up, travel to Cyprus,
but you will find no relief there.”[cg]
13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans,
these people who have lost their identity![ch]
The Assyrians have made it a home for wild animals.
They erected their siege towers,[ci]
demolished[cj] its fortresses,
and turned it into a heap of ruins.[ck]
14 Wail, you large ships,[cl]
for your fortress is destroyed!

15 At that time[cm] Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years,[cn] the typical life span of a king.[co] At the end of seventy years Tyre will try to attract attention again, like the prostitute in the popular song:[cp]

16 “Take the harp,
go through the city,
forgotten prostitute!
Play it well,
play lots of songs,
so you’ll be noticed.”[cq]

17 At the end of seventy years[cr] the Lord will revive[cs] Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms.[ct] 18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes.[cu]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 22:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  2. Isaiah 22:1 sn The following message pertains to Jerusalem. The significance of referring to the city as the Valley of Vision is uncertain. Perhaps the Hinnom Valley is in view, but why it is associated with a prophetic revelatory “vision” is not entirely clear. Maybe the Hinnom Valley is called this because the destruction that will take place there is the focal point of this prophetic message (see v. 5).
  3. Isaiah 22:1 tn Heb “What to you, then?”
  4. Isaiah 22:2 tn Heb “the boisterous town.” The phrase is parallel to “the noisy city” in the preceding line.
  5. Isaiah 22:2 sn Apparently they died from starvation during the siege that preceded the final conquest of the city. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:409.
  6. Isaiah 22:3 tn Verse 3 reads literally, “All your leaders ran away; apart from a bow they were captured; all your found ones were captured together; to a distant place they fled.” J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:403, n. 3) suggests that the lines of the verse are arranged chiastically; lines 1 and 4 go together, while lines 2 and 3 are parallel. To translate the lines in the order they appear in the Hebrew text is misleading to the English reader, who is likely unfamiliar with, or at least insensitive to, chiastic parallelism. Consequently, the main translation arranges the lines as follows: line 1 (Hebrew) = line 1 (in translation); line 2 (Hebrew) = line 4 (in translation); line 3 (Hebrew) = line 3 (in translation); line 4 (Hebrew) = line 2 (in translation).
  7. Isaiah 22:3 tn Heb “all your found ones.” To achieve tighter parallelism (see “your leaders”) some prefer to emend the form to אַמִּיצַיִךְ (ʾammitsayikh, “your strong ones”) or to נֶאֱמָצַיִךְ (neʾematsayikh, “your strengthened ones”).
  8. Isaiah 22:3 tn Heb “apart from [i.e., without] a bow they were captured”; cf. NAB, NRSV “without the use of a bow.”
  9. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “look away from me” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
  10. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “don’t hurry” (so NCV).
  11. Isaiah 22:4 tn Heb “the daughter of my people.” “Daughter” is here used metaphorically to express the speaker’s emotional attachment to his people, as well as their vulnerability and weakness.
  12. Isaiah 22:5 tn The Hebrew term translated “Sovereign” here and in vv. 12, 14, 15 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  13. Isaiah 22:5 tn Heb “For [there is] a day of panic, and trampling, and confusion for the master, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”].”
  14. Isaiah 22:5 tn The traditional accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests that this phrase goes with what precedes.
  15. Isaiah 22:5 tn The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Some take קִר (qir) as “wall” and interpret the verb to mean “tear down.” However, tighter parallelism (note the reference to crying for help in the next line) is achieved if one takes both the verb and noun from a root, attested in Ugaritic and Arabic, meaning “make a sound.” See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:404, n. 5.
  16. Isaiah 22:5 sn Perhaps “the hill” refers to the temple mount.
  17. Isaiah 22:6 tn Heb “[with] the chariots of men, horsemen.”
  18. Isaiah 22:6 sn A distant region in the direction of Mesopotamia; see Amos 1:5; 9:7.
  19. Isaiah 22:6 tn Heb “Kir uncovers” (so NAB, NIV).
  20. Isaiah 22:6 sn The Elamites and men of Kir may here symbolize a fierce army from a distant land. If this oracle anticipates a Babylonian conquest of the city (see 39:5-7), then the Elamites and men of Kir are perhaps viewed here as mercenaries in the Babylonian army. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:410.
  21. Isaiah 22:7 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  22. Isaiah 22:7 tn Heb “taking a stand, take their stand.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the following finite verb. The translation attempts to bring out this emphasis with the adverb “confidently.”
  23. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “he,” i.e., the enemy invader. NASB, by its capitalization of the pronoun, takes this to refer to the Lord.
  24. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “covering.”
  25. Isaiah 22:8 tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV); likewise at the beginning of v. 12.
  26. Isaiah 22:8 sn Perhaps this refers to a royal armory, or to Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” where weapons may have been kept (see 1 Kgs 10:16-17).
  27. Isaiah 22:9 tn Heb “the breaks of the City of David, you saw that they were many.”
  28. Isaiah 22:10 tn Heb “you demolished the houses to fortify the wall.”
  29. Isaiah 22:11 tn Heb “look at”; NAB, NRSV “did not look to.”
  30. Isaiah 22:11 tn The antecedent of the third feminine singular suffix here and in the next line is unclear. The closest feminine noun is “pool” in the first half of the verse. Perhaps this “old pool” symbolizes the entire city, which had prospered because of God’s provision and protection through the years.
  31. Isaiah 22:11 tn Heb “did not see.”
  32. Isaiah 22:12 tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.
  33. Isaiah 22:13 tn Heb “happiness and joy.”
  34. Isaiah 22:13 tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.
  35. Isaiah 22:14 tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord of Heaven’s Armies [traditionally, “the Lord of hosts”].”
  36. Isaiah 22:14 tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.
  37. Isaiah 22:15 tn Heb “who is over the house” (so ASV); NASB “who is in charge of the royal household.”
  38. Isaiah 22:15 tn The words “and tell him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  39. Isaiah 22:16 tn Heb “What to you here? And who to you here?” The point of the second question is not entirely clear. The interpretation reflected in the translation is based on the following context, which suggests that Shebna has no right to think of himself so highly and arrange such an extravagant burial place for himself.
  40. Isaiah 22:16 tn Heb “that you chisel out.”
  41. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “will throw you with a throwing.”
  42. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “O man” (so NASB); NAB “mortal man”; NRSV “my fellow.”
  43. Isaiah 22:17 tn Heb “and the one who wraps you [will] wrap.”
  44. Isaiah 22:18 tn Heb “and he will tightly [or “surely”] wind you [with] winding like a ball, to a land broad of hands [i.e., “sides”].”
  45. Isaiah 22:18 tn Heb “and there the chariots of your splendor.”
  46. Isaiah 22:18 sn Apparently the reference to chariots alludes to Shebna’s excessive pride, which in turn brings disgrace to the royal family.
  47. Isaiah 22:19 tn Heb “I will push you away from.”
  48. Isaiah 22:19 tn Heb “he will throw you down.” The shift from the first to third person is peculiar and abrupt, but certainly not unprecedented in Hebrew poetry. See GKC 462 §144.p. The third person may be indefinite (“one will throw you down”), in which case the passive translation is justified.
  49. Isaiah 22:20 tn Or “in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  50. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “and your dominion I will place in his hand.”
  51. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “a father to.” The Hebrew term אָב (ʾav, “father”) is here used metaphorically of one who protects and supports those under his care and authority, like a father does his family. For another example of this metaphorical use of the word, see Job 29:16.
  52. Isaiah 22:21 tn Heb “house.”
  53. Isaiah 22:22 sn This may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator. Even so, it would still symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:422.
  54. Isaiah 22:23 sn The metaphor depicts how secure his position will be.
  55. Isaiah 22:23 tn Heb “and he will become a glorious throne for the house of his father.”
  56. Isaiah 22:24 tn Heb “and all the glory of the house of his father they will hang on him.” The Lord returns to the peg metaphor of v. 23a. Eliakim’s secure position of honor will bring benefits and jobs to many others in the family.
  57. Isaiah 22:24 tn The precise meaning and derivation of this word are uncertain. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “the issue”; CEV “relatives.”
  58. Isaiah 22:24 tn Heb “all the small vessels, from the vessels that are bowls to all the vessels that are jars.” The picture is that of a single peg holding the weight of all kinds of containers hung from it.
  59. Isaiah 22:25 tn Or “In that day” (KJV).
  60. Isaiah 22:25 sn Eliakim’s authority, though seemingly secure, will eventually be removed, and with it his family’s prominence.
  61. Isaiah 22:25 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
  62. Isaiah 23:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  63. Isaiah 23:1 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant, western port of Tarshish.
  64. Isaiah 23:1 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for it is destroyed, from a house, from entering.” The translation assumes that the mem (מ) on בַּיִת (bayit) was originally an enclitic mem suffixed to the preceding verb. This assumption allows one to take בַּיִת as the subject of the preceding verb. It is used in a metaphorical sense for the port city of Tyre. The preposition min (מִן) prefixed to בּוֹא (boʾ) indicates negative consequence: “so that no one can enter.” See BDB 583 s.v. מִן 7.b.
  65. Isaiah 23:1 tn Heb “the Kittim,” a designation for the people of Cyprus. See HALOT 504-05 s.v. כִּתִּיִּים.
  66. Isaiah 23:2 tn Or “keep quiet”; NAB “Silence!”
  67. Isaiah 23:3 tc The Hebrew text (23:2b-3a) reads literally, “merchant of Sidon, the one who crosses the sea, they filled you, and on the deep waters.” Instead of מִלְאוּךְ (milʾukh, “they filled you”) the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads מלאכיך (“your messengers”). The translation assumes an emendation of מִלְאוּךְ to מַלְאָכָו (malʾakhav, “his messengers”), taking the vav (ו) on וּבְמַיִם (uvemayim) as improperly placed; instead it should be the final letter of the preceding word.
  68. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “seed of Shihor.” “Shihor” probably refers to the east branch of the Nile. See Jer 2:18 and BDB 1009 s.v. שִׁיחוֹר.
  69. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “the harvest of the Nile.”
  70. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “[is] her revenue.”
  71. Isaiah 23:3 tn Heb “merchandise”; KJV, ASV “a mart of nations”; NLT “the merchandise mart of the world.”
  72. Isaiah 23:4 tn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:430-31) sees here a reference to Yam, the Canaanite god of the sea. He interprets the phrase מָעוֹז הַיָּם (maʿoz hayyam, “fortress of the sea”) as a title of Yam, translating “Mighty One of the Sea.” A more traditional view is that the phrase refers to Sidon.
  73. Isaiah 23:4 tn Or “virgins” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB).sn The sea is personified here as a lamenting childless woman. The foreboding language anticipates the following announcement of Tyre’s demise, viewed here as a child of the sea, as it were.
  74. Isaiah 23:5 tn Heb “they will be in pain at the report of Tyre.”
  75. Isaiah 23:7 tn Heb “Is this to you, boisterous one?” The pronoun “you” is masculine plural, like the imperatives in v. 6, so it is likely addressed to the Egyptians and residents of the coast. “Boisterous one” is a feminine singular form, probably referring to the personified city of Tyre.
  76. Isaiah 23:7 tn Heb “in the days of antiquity [is] her beginning.”
  77. Isaiah 23:8 tn The precise meaning of הַמַּעֲטִירָה (hammaʿatirah) is uncertain. The form is a Hiphil participle from עָטַר (ʿatar), a denominative verb derived from עֲטָרָה (ʿatarah, “crown, wreath”). The participle may mean “one who wears a crown” or “one who distributes crowns.” In either case, Tyre’s prominence in the international political arena is in view.
  78. Isaiah 23:8 tn Heb “the honored” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “renowned.”
  79. Isaiah 23:9 tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”
  80. Isaiah 23:10 tc This meaning of this verse is unclear. The Hebrew text reads literally, “Cross over your land, like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish, there is no more waistband.” The translation assumes an emendation of מֵזַח (mezakh, “waistband”) to מָחֹז (makhoz, “harbor, marketplace”; see Ps 107:30). The term עָבַר (ʿavar, “cross over”) is probably used here of traveling over the water (as in v. 6). The command is addressed to personified Tarshish, who here represents her merchants. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has עבדי (“work, cultivate”) instead of עִבְרִי (ʿivri, “cross over”). In this case one might translate “Cultivate your land, like they do the Nile region” (cf. NIV, CEV). The point would be that the people of Tarshish should turn to agriculture because they will no longer be able to get what they need through the marketplace in Tyre.
  81. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “his hand he stretched out over the sea.”
  82. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “the Lord.” For stylistic reasons the pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation here.
  83. Isaiah 23:11 tn Heb “concerning Canaan, to destroy her fortresses.” NIV, NLT translate “Canaan” as “Phoenicia” here.
  84. Isaiah 23:12 tn Or “violated, raped,” the point being that Daughter Sidon has lost her virginity in the most brutal manner possible.
  85. Isaiah 23:12 tn Heb “[to the] Kittim, get up, cross over; even there there will be no rest for you.” On “Kittim” see the note on “Cyprus” at v. 1.
  86. Isaiah 23:13 tn Heb “this people [that] is not.”
  87. Isaiah 23:13 tn For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 118 s.v. *בַּחוּן.
  88. Isaiah 23:13 tn Or “laid bare.” For the meaning of this word, see HALOT 889 s.v. ערר.
  89. Isaiah 23:13 sn This verse probably refers to the Assyrian destruction of Babylon.
  90. Isaiah 23:14 tn Heb “ships of Tarshish.” See the note at v. 1.
  91. Isaiah 23:15 tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  92. Isaiah 23:15 sn The number seventy is probably used in a stereotypical, nonliteral sense here to indicate a long period of time that satisfies completely the demands of God’s judgment.
  93. Isaiah 23:15 tn Heb “like the days of a king.”
  94. Isaiah 23:15 tn Heb “At the end of seventy years it will be for Tyre like the song of the prostitute.”
  95. Isaiah 23:16 tn Heb “so you will be remembered.”
  96. Isaiah 23:17 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  97. Isaiah 23:17 tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”
  98. Isaiah 23:17 tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”
  99. Isaiah 23:18 tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.
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Isaiah 21
Isaiah 24
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2 Kings 18:7-8
New English Translation

7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors.[a] He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him.[b] 8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 18:7 tn Heb “in all which he went out [to do], he was successful.”
  2. 2 Kings 18:7 tn Heb “and did not serve him.”
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2 Kings 17
2 Kings 19
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Micah 1:8-3:12
New English Translation

8 For this reason I[a] will mourn and wail;
I will walk around barefoot[b] and without my outer garments.[c]
I will howl[d] like a wild dog,[e]
and screech[f] like an owl.[g]
9 For Samaria’s[h] disease[i] is incurable.
It has infected[j] Judah;
it has spread to[k] the leadership[l] of my people
and even to Jerusalem!
10 Don’t spread the news in Gath.[m]
Don’t shed even a single tear.[n]
In Beth Leaphrah roll about in mourning in the dust![o]
11 Residents[p] of Shaphir,[q] pass by in nakedness and humiliation!
The residents of Zaanan have not escaped.[r]
Beth Ezel[s] mourns,[t]
“He takes from you what he desires.”[u]
12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth[v] hope for something good to happen,[w]
though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem.[x]
13 Residents of Lachish,[y] hitch the horses to the chariots!
You[z] influenced Daughter Zion[aa] to sin,[ab]
for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back[ac] to you!
14 Therefore you[ad] will have to say farewell[ae] to Moresheth Gath.
The residents[af] of Achzib[ag] will be as disappointing
as a dried up well[ah] to the kings of Israel.[ai]
15 Residents of Mareshah,[aj] a conqueror will attack you;[ak]
the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam.[al]
16 Shave your heads bald as you mourn for the children you love;[am]
shave your foreheads as bald[an] as an eagle,[ao]
for they are taken from you into exile.

Land Robbers Will Lose Their Land

2 Beware wicked schemers,[ap]
those who devise calamity as they lie in bed.[aq]
As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans,[ar]
because they have the power to do so.
2 They confiscate the fields they desire
and seize the houses they want.[as]
They defraud people of their homes[at]
and deprive people of the land they have inherited.[au]

3 Therefore the Lord says this:

“Look, I am devising disaster for this nation![av]
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck.[aw]
You will no longer[ax] walk proudly,
for it will be a time of catastrophe.
4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you—
they will mock you with this lament:[ay]
‘We are completely destroyed;
they sell off[az] the property of my people.
How they remove it from me![ba]
They assign our fields to the conqueror.’”[bb]
5 Therefore no one will assign you land in the Lord’s community.[bc]
6 “Don’t preach with such impassioned rhetoric,” they say excitedly.[bd]

“These prophets should not preach of such things;
we will not be overtaken by humiliation.”[be]
7 Does the family[bf] of Jacob say,[bg]
“The Lord’s patience[bh] can’t be exhausted—
he would never do such things”?[bi]
To be sure, my commands bring a reward
for those who obey them,[bj]
8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people.[bk]
You steal a robe from a friend,[bl]
from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war.[bm]
9 You wrongly evict widows[bn] among my people from their cherished homes.
You defraud their children[bo] of their prized inheritance.[bp]
10 But you are the ones who will be forced to leave![bq]
For this land is not secure;[br]
sin will thoroughly destroy it![bs]
11 If a lying windbag should come and say,[bt]
‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’[bu]
he would be just the right preacher for these people![bv]

The Lord Will Restore His People

12 “I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob,
I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain.[bw]
I will bring them together like sheep in a fold,[bx]
like a flock in the middle of a pasture;[by]
they will be so numerous that they will make a lot of noise.[bz]
13 The one who can break through barriers will lead them out;[ca]
they will break out, pass through the gate, and leave.[cb]
Their king will advance[cc] before them;
the Lord himself will lead them.”[cd]

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3 I said,
“Listen, you leaders[ce] of Jacob,
you rulers of the nation[cf] of Israel!
You ought to know what is just,[cg]
2 yet you[ch] hate what is good[ci]
and love what is evil.[cj]
You flay my people’s skin[ck]
and rip the flesh from their bones.[cl]
3 You[cm] devour my people’s flesh,
strip off their skin,
and crush their bones.
You chop them up like flesh in a pot[cn]—
like meat in a kettle.
4 Someday these sinful leaders[co] will cry to the Lord for help,
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have done such wicked deeds.”

5 This is what the Lord has said about the prophets who mislead my people,[cp]

“If someone gives them enough to eat,
they offer an oracle of peace.[cq]
But if someone does not give them food,
they are ready to declare war on him.[cr]
6 Therefore night will fall, and you will receive no visions;[cs]
it will grow dark, and you will no longer be able to read the omens.[ct]
The sun will set on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn to darkness over their heads.[cu]
7 The prophets[cv] will be ashamed;
the omen readers will be humiliated.
All of them will cover their mouths,[cw]
for they will receive no divine oracles.”[cx]
8 But I[cy] am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives

and have a strong commitment to justice.[cz]
This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion
and Israel with its sin.[da]
9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family[db] of Jacob,
you rulers of the nation[dc] of Israel!
You[dd] hate justice
and pervert all that is right.
10 You[de] build Zion through bloody crimes,[df]
Jerusalem through unjust violence.
11 Her[dg] leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases,[dh]
her priests proclaim rulings for profit,
and her prophets read omens for pay.
Yet they claim to trust[di] the Lord and say,
“The Lord is among us.[dj]
Disaster will not overtake[dk] us!”
12 Therefore, because of you,[dl] Zion will be plowed up like[dm] a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the Temple Mount[dn] will become a hill overgrown with brush![do]

Footnotes

  1. Micah 1:8 tn The prophet is probably the speaker here.
  2. Micah 1:8 tn Or “stripped.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is unclear. It may refer to walking barefoot (see 2 Sam 15:30) or to partially stripping oneself (see Job 12:17-19).
  3. Micah 1:8 tn Heb “naked.” This probably does not refer to complete nudity, but to stripping off one’s outer garments as an outward sign of the destitution felt by the mourner.
  4. Micah 1:8 tn Heb “I will make lamentation.”
  5. Micah 1:8 tn Or “a jackal”; CEV “howling wolves.”
  6. Micah 1:8 tn Heb “[make] a mourning.”
  7. Micah 1:8 tn Or perhaps “ostrich” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
  8. Micah 1:9 tn Heb “her.”
  9. Micah 1:9 tc The MT reads the plural “wounds/plagues”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.
  10. Micah 1:9 tn Heb “come to.”
  11. Micah 1:9 tn Or “reached.”
  12. Micah 1:9 tn Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.
  13. Micah 1:10 tn Heb “Tell it not in Gath.” The Hebrew word for “tell” (נָגַד, nagad) sounds like the name of the city, Gath (גַּת, gat).
  14. Micah 1:10 tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.
  15. Micah 1:10 tc The translation assumes a masculine plural imperative. If one were to emend בְּבֵית (bevet) to בֵית (vet), Beth Leaphrah would then be the addressee and the feminine singular imperative (see Qere) could be retained, “O Beth Leaphrah, sit in the dust.”tn Or “wallow.” The verb פָּלַשׁ (palash, “roll about [in dust])” refers to a cultural behavior associated with mourning.sn The name Beth Leaphrah means “house of dust.”
  16. Micah 1:11 tn The feminine singular participle is here used in a collective sense for all the residents of the town. See GKC 394 §122.s.
  17. Micah 1:11 sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.
  18. Micah 1:11 tn Heb “have not gone out.” NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.” sn The place name Zaanan sounds like the verb “go out” in Hebrew.
  19. Micah 1:11 sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.
  20. Micah 1:11 tn Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).
  21. Micah 1:11 tc The form עֶמְדָּתוֹ (ʿemdato) should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ (khamadto, “his (the conqueror’s) desire”).tn The precise meaning of the line is uncertain. The translation assumes: (a) the subject of the third masculine singular verb יִקַּח (yiqqakh, “he/it takes”) is the conqueror, (b) the second masculine plural suffix (“you”) on the preposition מִן (min, “from”) refers to the residents of Shaphir and Zaanan, (c) the final form עֶמְדָּתוֹ should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ, “his (the conqueror’s) desire.”
  22. Micah 1:12 sn The place name Maroth sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.”
  23. Micah 1:12 tc The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה (khalah; from חִיל, khil, “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה (yikhalah; from יָחַל, yakhal, “to wait”).tn Heb “[the residents of Maroth] writhe [= “anxiously long for”?] good.”
  24. Micah 1:12 tn Heb “though disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.”
  25. Micah 1:13 sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”
  26. Micah 1:13 tn Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.
  27. Micah 1:13 sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.
  28. Micah 1:13 tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”
  29. Micah 1:13 tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”
  30. Micah 1:14 tn The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.
  31. Micah 1:14 tn Heb “you will give a dowry to”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “give parting gifts to.” Lachish is compared to a father who presents wedding gifts to his daughter as she leaves her father’s home to take up residence with her husband. In similar fashion Lachish will bid farewell to Moresheth Gath, for the latter will be taken by the invader.
  32. Micah 1:14 tn Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.
  33. Micah 1:14 sn The place name Achzib (אַכְזִיב, ʾakhziv, “place on the dried up river”; see HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב) creates a word play on the similar sounding term כָּזָב (kazav, “lie, deception”; HALOT 468 s.v. כָּזָב). Like the dried up river upon which its name was based, the city of Achzib would fail to help the kings of Israel in their time of need.
  34. Micah 1:14 tn Or “will be a deception.” The term אַכְזָב (ʾakhzav) is often translated “deception,” derived from the verb I כָּזָב (“to deceive, lie”; HALOT 467-68 s.v. I כזב). However, it probably means “what is dried up,” since (1) the noun elsewhere refers to an empty well or dried river in summer (Jer 15:18; cf. Job 6:15-20) (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); (2) the place-name “Achzib” (אַכְזִיב) literally means “place on the אַכְזָב [dried up river]” (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); and (3) it is derived from the verb II כָּזָב (“to dry up [brook]”; Isa 58:11), which also appears in Mishnaic Hebrew and Arabic. The point of the metaphor is that Achzib will be as disappointing to the kings of Israel as a dried up spring in the summer is to a thirsty traveler in the Jordanian desert.
  35. Micah 1:14 sn Because of the enemy invasion, Achzib would not be able to deliver soldiers for the army and/or services normally rendered to the crown.
  36. Micah 1:15 sn The place name Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror.”
  37. Micah 1:15 tn Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the Lord would have to be the subject (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But the prophet appears to be delivering this lament and the Lord is referred to in the third person in v. 12. Consequently many emend the verb to a third person form (יָבוֹא, yavoʾ) and understand the “conqueror” as subject.
  38. Micah 1:15 tn Heb “to Adullam the glory of Israel will go.” This probably means that the nation’s leadership will run for their lives and, like David of old, hide from their enemy in the caves of Adullam. Cf. NIV’s “He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam,” which sounds as if an individual is in view, and could be understood as a messianic reference.
  39. Micah 1:16 tn Heb “over the sons of your delight.”
  40. Micah 1:16 tn Heb “make wide your baldness.”
  41. Micah 1:16 tn Or “a vulture” (cf. NIV, TEV); CEV “a buzzard.” The Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר (nesher) refers to the griffon vulture or eagle.
  42. Micah 2:1 tn Heb “those who think up evil.”
  43. Micah 2:1 tn Heb “upon their beds.”
  44. Micah 2:1 tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”
  45. Micah 2:2 tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”
  46. Micah 2:2 tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”
  47. Micah 2:2 tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (ʿashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
  48. Micah 2:3 tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”
  49. Micah 2:3 tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  50. Micah 2:3 tn Or “you will not.”
  51. Micah 2:4 tc The form נִהְיָה (nihyah) should be omitted as dittographic (note the preceding וְנָהָה נְהִי venahah nehi).tn Heb “one will lament [with] a lamentation [and] say.”
  52. Micah 2:4 tn Or “exchange.” The LXX suggests a reading יִמַּד (yimmad) from מָדַד (madad, “to measure”). In this case one could translate, “the property of my people is measured out [i.e., for resale].”
  53. Micah 2:4 tn Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  54. Micah 2:4 tc The Hebrew term שׁוֹבֵב (shovev, “the one turning back”) elsewhere has the nuance “apostate” (cf. NASB) or “traitor” (cf. NIV). The translation assumes an emendation to שָׁבָה (shavah, “captor”).tn Heb “to the one turning back he assigns our fields.”
  55. Micah 2:5 tn Heb “therefore you will not have one who strings out a measuring line by lot in the assembly of the Lord.”sn No one will assign you land in the Lord’s community. When judgment passes and the people are restored to the land, those greedy ones who disregarded the ancient land allotments will not be allowed to participate in the future redistribution of the land.
  56. Micah 2:6 tn Heb “‘Do not foam at the mouth,’ they foam at the mouth.” The verb נָטַף (nataf) means “to drip.” When used of speech it probably has the nuance “to drivel, to foam at the mouth” (HALOT 694 s.v. נטף). The sinful people tell the Lord’s prophets not to “foam at the mouth,” which probably refers in a derogatory way to their impassioned style of delivery. But the Lord (who is probably still speaking here, see v. 3) sarcastically refers to their impassioned exhortation as “foaming at the mouth.”
  57. Micah 2:6 tc If one follows the MT as it stands, it would appear that the Lord here condemns the people for their “foaming at the mouth” and then announces that judgment is inevitable. The present translation assumes that this is a continuation of the quotation of what the people say. In this case the subject of “foam at the mouth” is the Lord’s prophets. In the second line יִסַּג (yissag, a Niphal imperfect from סוּג, sug, “to remove”) is emended to יַסִּגֵנוּ (yassigenu; a Hiphil imperfect from נָסַג/נָשַׂג, nasag/nasag, “to reach; to overtake”).tn Heb “they should not foam at the mouth concerning these things, humiliation will not be removed.”
  58. Micah 2:7 tn Heb “house” (so many English versions); CEV “descendants.’
  59. Micah 2:7 tc The MT has אָמוּר (ʾamur), an otherwise unattested passive participle, which is better emended to אָמוֹר (ʾamor), an infinitive absolute functioning as a finite verb (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמַר).
  60. Micah 2:7 tn The Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruakh) often means “Spirit” when used of the Lord, but here it seems to have an abstract sense, “patience.” See BDB 925 s.v. 3.d.
  61. Micah 2:7 tn Heb “Has the patience of the Lord run short? Or are these his deeds?” The rhetorical questions expect the answer, “No, of course not.” The people contest the prophet’s claims that the Lord’s judgment is falling on the nation.
  62. Micah 2:7 tn Heb “Do not my words accomplish good for the one who walks uprightly?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they do!” The Lord begins his response to the claim of the house of Jacob that they are immune to judgment (see v. 7a). He points out that the godly are indeed rewarded, but then he goes on to show that those in the house of Jacob are not godly and can expect divine judgment, not blessing (vv. 8-11). Some emend “my words” to “his words.” In this case, v. 7b is a continuation of the immediately preceding quotation. The people, thinking they are godly, confidently ask, “Do not his [God’s] words accomplish good for the one who walks uprightly?”
  63. Micah 2:8 tc Heb “Recently my people rise up as an enemy.” The MT is problematic in light of v. 9, where “my people” are the object of oppression, not the perpetrators of it. The form וְאֶתְמוּל (veʾetmul, “and recently”) is probably the product of fusion and subsequent suppression of an (ע) ʿayin. The translation assumes an emendation to וְאַתֶּם עַל (veʾattem ʿal, “and you against [my people]”). The second person plural pronoun fits well with the second plural verb forms of vv. 8b-10. If this emendation is accepted, then יְקוֹמֵם (yeqomem, the Polel imperfect of קוּם [qum]) should be emended to קָמִים (qamim; a Qal participle from the same root).
  64. Micah 2:8 tc Heb “From the front of a garment glory [or perhaps, “a robe”] you strip off,” but this makes little if any sense. The term מִמּוּל (mimmul, “from the front of”) is probably the product of dittography (note the preceding word, which ends in [ם] mem) and subsequent suppression of ע (ʿayin). The translation assumes an emendation to מֵעַל (meʿal, “from upon”). The translation also assumes an emendation of שַׂלְמָה אֶדֶר (salmah ʾeder, “a garment, glory [or robe]”) to שֹׁלְמִים אֲדֶרֶת (sholemim ʾaderet, “[from] a friend the robe [you strip off]”). The MT’s אֶדֶר (ʾeder) is the result of improper division (the article has erroneously been attached to the preceding word) and haplography (of the final tav, which also begins the following word).
  65. Micah 2:8 tc The passive participle שׁוּבֵי (shuve) is unattested elsewhere and should be emended to a participle שָׁבִים (shavim).tn Heb “from those passing by peacefully, returnees from war.” Actual refugees, however, are probably not in view. The second line compares those who pass by peacefully with individuals returning from war. The battle is over and they do not expect their own countrymen to attack them.
  66. Micah 2:9 tn Heb “women.” This may be a synecdoche of the whole (women) for the part (widows).
  67. Micah 2:9 tn Heb “her little children” or “her infants”; ASV, NRSV “young children.”
  68. Micah 2:9 tn Heb “from their children you take my glory forever.” The yod (י) ending on הֲדָרִי (hadari) is usually taken as a first person common singular suffix (“my glory”). But it may be the archaic genitive ending (“glory of”) in the construct expression “glory of perpetuity,” that is, “perpetual glory.” In either case, this probably refers to the dignity or honor the Lord bestowed on each Israelite family by giving them a share of his land to be inherited perpetually from one generation to another within each family. The term הָדָר (hadar) may refer to possessions that a person prizes (Lam 1:6).
  69. Micah 2:10 tn Heb “Arise and go!” These imperatives are rhetorical. Those who wrongly drove widows and orphans from their homes and land inheritances will themselves be driven out of the land (cf. Isa 5:8-17). This is an example of poetic justice.
  70. Micah 2:10 tn Heb “for this is no resting place.” The Lord speaks to the oppressors.
  71. Micah 2:10 tn Heb “uncleanness will destroy, and destruction will be severe.”
  72. Micah 2:11 tn Heb “if a man, coming [as] wind and falsehood, should lie”; NASB “walking after wind and falsehood”; NIV “a liar and a deceiver.”
  73. Micah 2:11 tn Heb “I will foam at the mouth concerning wine and beer.”
  74. Micah 2:11 tn Heb “he would be the foamer at the mouth for this people.”
  75. Micah 2:12 tn Heb “the remnant of Israel.”
  76. Micah 2:12 tc The MT reads בָּצְרָה (batsrah, “Bozrah”) but the form should be emended to בַּצִּרָה (batsirah, “into the fold”). See D. R. Hillers, Micah (Hermeneia), 38.
  77. Micah 2:12 tc The MT reads “its pasture,” but the final vav (ו) belongs with the following verb. See GKC 413 §127.i.
  78. Micah 2:12 tn Heb “and they will be noisy [or perhaps, “excited”] from men.” The subject of the third feminine plural verb תְּהִימֶנָה (tehimenah, “they will be noisy”) is probably the feminine singular צֹאן (tsoʾn, “flock”). (For another example of this collective singular noun with a feminine plural verb, see Gen 30:38.) In the construction מֵאָדָם (meʾadam, “from men”) the preposition is probably causal. L. C. Allen translates “bleating in fear of men” (Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah [NICOT], 300), but it is possible to take the causal sense as “because of the large quantity of men.” In this case the sheep metaphor and the underlying reality are mixed.
  79. Micah 2:13 tn Heb “the one who breaks through goes up before them.” The verb form is understood as a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of this coming event.
  80. Micah 2:13 tn The three verb forms (a perfect and two preterites with vav [ו] consecutive) indicate certitude.sn The “fold” from which the sheep/people break out is probably a reference to their place of exile.
  81. Micah 2:13 tn The verb form (a preterite with vav [ו] consecutive) indicates certitude.
  82. Micah 2:13 tn Heb “the Lord [will be] at their head.”
  83. Micah 3:1 tn Heb “heads.”
  84. Micah 3:1 tn Heb “house.”
  85. Micah 3:1 tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”
  86. Micah 3:2 tn Heb “the ones who.”
  87. Micah 3:2 tn Or “good.”
  88. Micah 3:2 tn Or “evil.”
  89. Micah 3:2 tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the Lord as the speaker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  90. Micah 3:2 tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”sn Micah compares the social injustice perpetrated by the house of Jacob/Israel to cannibalism, because it threatens the very lives of the oppressed.
  91. Micah 3:3 tn Heb “who.”
  92. Micah 3:3 tc The MT reads “and they chop up as in a pot.” The translation assumes an emendation of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher, “as”) to כִּשְׁאֵר (kishʾer, “like flesh”).
  93. Micah 3:4 tn Heb “they,” referring to the indicted leaders in vv. 1-3.
  94. Micah 3:5 tn Heb “concerning the prophets, those who mislead my people.” Some prefer to begin the quotation after “the Lord has said” (cf. NIV). But when the preposition עַל (ʿal, “about”) occurs with this introductory formula it regularly indicates who is being spoken about. (When a person is not the object of the preposition, it may begin the quote, meaning “because.”) Including the first person pronominal suffix (in “my people”) after a third person introduction may sound awkward, but also occurs in Jer 14:15; 23:2 (and perhaps Jer 12:14, a text critical question). Hillers prefers to add הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) at the beginning of the quotation, after the graphically similar יְהוָה (yehvah; see D. R. Hillers, Micah [Hermeneia], 44). The phrase הוֹי עַל (hoy ʿal, “woe upon”) occurs in Jer 50:27 and Ezek 13:3 (with “the prophets” following the preposition in the latter instance).
  95. Micah 3:5 tn Heb “those who bite with their teeth and cry out, ‘peace.’” The phrase “bite with the teeth” is taken here as idiomatic for eating. Apparently these prophets were driven by mercenary motives. If they were paid well, they gave positive oracles to their clients, but if someone could not afford to pay them, they were hostile and delivered oracles of doom.
  96. Micah 3:5 tn Heb “but [as for the one] who does not place [food] in their mouths, they prepare for war against him.”
  97. Micah 3:6 tn Heb “it will be night for you without a vision.”sn The coming of night (and darkness in the following line) symbolizes the cessation of revelation.
  98. Micah 3:6 tn Heb “it will be dark for you without divination.”sn The reading of omens (Heb “divination”) was forbidden in the law (Deut 18:10), so this probably reflects the prophets’ view of how they received divine revelation.
  99. Micah 3:6 tn Heb “and the day will be dark over them.”
  100. Micah 3:7 tn Or “seers.”
  101. Micah 3:7 tn Or “the mustache,” or perhaps “the beard.” Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “cover their lips.”
  102. Micah 3:7 tn Heb “no divine response” or “no answer from God.”
  103. Micah 3:8 sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.
  104. Micah 3:8 tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the Lord, and justice and strength.” The appositional phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” explains the source of the prophet’s power. The phrase “justice and strength” is understood here as a hendiadys, referring to the prophet’s strong sense of justice.
  105. Micah 3:8 tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  106. Micah 3:9 tn Heb “house.”
  107. Micah 3:9 tn Heb “house.”
  108. Micah 3:9 tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).
  109. Micah 3:10 tn Heb “who.”
  110. Micah 3:10 tn Heb “bloodshed” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NLT “murder.”
  111. Micah 3:11 sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).
  112. Micah 3:11 tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”
  113. Micah 3:11 tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”
  114. Micah 3:11 tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”
  115. Micah 3:11 tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”
  116. Micah 3:12 tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.
  117. Micah 3:12 tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).
  118. Micah 3:12 tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).
  119. Micah 3:12 tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”
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