Micah 1

1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

2 Hear, you peoples, all of you,
listen, earth and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.

3 Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place;
he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth.

4 The mountains melt beneath him
and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.

5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the house of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?

6 “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.
I will pour her stones into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.

7 All her idols will be broken to pieces;
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”

8 Because of this I will weep and wail;
I will go about barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.

9 For Samaria’s wound is incurable;
it has come to Judah.
It has reached the very gate of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.

10 Tell it not in Gath ;
weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah
roll in the dust.

11 Pass on in nakedness and shame,
you who live in Shaphir.
Those who live in Zaanan
will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
its protection is taken from you.

12 Those who live in Maroth writhe in pain,
waiting for relief,
because disaster has come from the Lord,
even to the gate of Jerusalem.

13 You who live in Lachish,
harness the team to the chariot.
You were the beginning of sin
to Daughter Zion,
for the transgressions of Israel
were found in you.

14 Therefore you will give parting gifts
to Moresheth Gath.
The town of Akzib will prove deceptive
to the kings of Israel.

15 I will bring a conqueror against you
who live in Mareshah.
The nobles of Israel
will flee to Adullam.

16 Shave your head in mourning
for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
for they will go from you into exile.

MICAH 1

1  t I am Micah from Moresheth.t And this is the message about Samaria and Jerusalemt that the [Lord] gave to me when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiaht were the kings of Judah.

Judgment on Samaria

2 Listen, all of you!
Earth and everything on it,
pay close attention.
The [Lord] God accuses you
from his holy temple.t

3 And he will come down
to crush underfoot
every pagan altar.

4 Mountains will melt
beneath his feet
like wax beside a fire.
Valleys will vanish like water
rushing down a ravine.

5 This will happen because of
the terrible sins of Israel,
the descendants of Jacob.
Samaria has led Israel to sin,
and pagan altars at Jerusalem
have made Judah sin.

6 So the [Lord] will leave Samaria
in ruins—
merely an empty field
where vineyards are planted.
He will scatter its stones
and destroy its foundations.

7 Samaria's idols will be smashed,
and the wages
of temple prostitutest
will be destroyed by fire.
Silver and gold from those idols
will then be used by foreigners
as payment for prostitutes.

Judah Is Doomed

8 Because of this tragedy, t
I go barefoot and naked.
My crying and weeping
sound like howling wolves
or ostriches.

9 The nation is fatally wounded.
Judah is doomed.
Jerusalem will fall.

10 Don't tell it in Gath!
Don't even cry.
Instead, roll in the dust
at Beth-Leaphrah.t

11 Depart naked and ashamed,
you people of Shaphir.t
The town of Bethezelt mourns
because no one from Zaanant
went out to help.t

12 Everyone in Marotht
hoped for the best,
but the [Lord] sent disaster
down on Jerusalem.

13 Get the war chariots ready,
you people of Lachish.t
You led Jerusalem into sin,
just as Israel did.t

14 Now you will have to give
a going-away giftt
to Moresheth.t
Israel's kings will discover
that they cannot trust
the town of Achzib.t

15 People of Mareshah, t
the [Lord] will send someone
to capture your town.
Then Israel's glorious king
will be forced to hide
in Adullam Cave.t

16 Judah, shave your head
as bald as a vulture
and start mourning.
Your precious childrent
will be dragged off
to a foreign country.