Micah 1
1
1 #
2 K 15.32-38; 2 Ch 27.1-7;
2 K 16.1-20; 2 Ch 28.1-27;
2 K 18.1—20.21; 2 Ch 29.1—32.33. I am Micah from Moresheth.#1.1 Moresheth: A town in southern Judah not far from Gath. In verse 14 it is called Moresheth-Gath. And this is the message about Samaria and Jerusalem#1.1 Samaria and Jerusalem: Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom (Israel), and Jerusalem was the capital of the southern kingdom (Judah). that the Lord gave to me when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah#1.1 Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah: Jotham, the son of Uzziah, ruled Judah 740–736 b.c.; Ahaz, the son of Jotham, ruled 736–716 b.c.; Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, ruled 716–687 b.c. were the kings of Judah.
Judgment on Samaria
2Listen, all of you!
Earth and everything on it,
pay close attention.
The Lord God accuses you
from his holy temple.#1.2 holy temple: Possibly the one in heaven, though it may be the Jerusalem temple.
3And he will come down
to crush underfoot
every pagan altar.
4Mountains will melt
beneath his feet
like wax beside a fire.
Valleys will vanish like water
rushing down a ravine.
5This 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.
6So the Lord will leave Samaria
in ruins—
merely an empty field
where vineyards are planted.
He will scatter its stones
and destroy its foundations.
7Samaria's idols will be smashed,
and the wages
of temple prostitutes#1.7 wages of temple prostitutes: At pagan temples, people had sex with prostitutes as a way of worshiping the idols, and the money earned in this way was used to support the pagan religion.
will be destroyed by fire.
Silver and gold from those idols
will then be used by foreigners
as payment for prostitutes.
Judah Is Doomed
8Because of this tragedy,#1.8 this tragedy: Either the destruction of Samaria (verses 6,7) or the coming destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.
I go barefoot and naked.
My crying and weeping
sound like howling wolves
or ostriches.
9The nation is fatally wounded.
Judah is doomed.
Jerusalem will fall.
10Don't tell it in Gath!
Don't even cry.
Instead, roll in the dust
at Beth-Leaphrah.#1.10 Gath … Beth-Leaphrah: Gath was a Philistine city; Beth-Leaphrah is unknown, but in Hebrew it sounds like “House of Dust.”
11Depart naked and ashamed,
you people of Shaphir.#1.11 Shaphir: Mentioned only here in the Old Testament; in Hebrew “Shaphir” means “beautiful.”
The town of Bethezel#1.11 Bethezel: Mentioned only here in the Old Testament; in Hebrew “Bethezel” means “house next door.” mourns
because no one from Zaanan#1.11 Zaanan: Mentioned only here in the Old Testament; in Hebrew “Zaanan” means “one who goes out.”
went out to help.#1.11 The town … help: Or “No one from Zaanan refused to desert their town, and Bethezel mourns because it is left undefended.”
12Everyone in Maroth#1.12 Maroth: Mentioned only here in the Old Testament; in Hebrew “Maroth” means “bitter.”
hoped for the best,
but the Lord sent disaster
down on Jerusalem.
13Get the war chariots ready,
you people of Lachish.#1.13 Lachish: The chief city of southwest Judah, about 48 kilometers from Jerusalem.
You led Jerusalem into sin,
just as Israel did.#1.13 led … sin … did: Or “You led Jerusalem and Israel into sin.” In Hebrew “Lachish” sounds like “a team of horses (that pulls a war chariot).” And the sin may be that Lachish led the nation to trust the power of war chariots instead of the Lord. But the sin could be idolatry or some false teachings that were brought in from Egypt by way of Lachish.
14Now you will have to give
a going-away gift#1.14 going-away gift: The gift (dowry) that a bride's father gave her when she left the home of her parents to live with the family of her husband. In Hebrew the word for “bride” or “fiancee” sounds like “Moresheth.”
to Moresheth.#1.14 Moresheth: Hebrew “Moresheth-Gath”; the home of Micah (see verse 1).
Israel's kings will discover
that they cannot trust
the town of Achzib.#1.14 Achzib: Meaning “lie” or “deception” was near Adullam Cave (verse 15), where David hid from King Saul (see 1 Samuel 22.1,2). Micah probably means that the people of Israel (including their king) will have to run for their lives, but will find that all hope for escape is merely a “lie” (see verse 15).
15People of Mareshah,#1.15 Mareshah: Sounds something like the Hebrew word for “conqueror” and was only a few kilometers northeast of Lachish.
the Lord will send someone
to capture your town.
Then Israel's glorious king
will be forced to hide
in Adullam Cave.#1.15 Adullam Cave: See the note at 1.14.
16Judah, shave your head
as bald as a vulture
and start mourning.
Your precious children#1.16 precious children: The towns mentioned in verses 10-15.
will be dragged off
to a foreign country.
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Micah 1: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Micah 1
1
1The word of Adonai that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—visions he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
Smashing Idols in the High Places
2Hear, O peoples—all of you! Attention, O land and everything in it! Adonai Elohim will be witness against you— The Lord from His holy Temple.
3For behold, Adonai is coming forth out of His place. He will come down and trample on the high places of the land.
4The mountains will melt away under Him and the valleys will split apart like wax before the fire, like water being poured down a slope.
5All this is because of Jacob’s transgression and the sins of the house of Israel. Who is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? Who are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?
6So I will make Samaria into a ruin in the countryside, planting places for a vineyard. I will hurl her stones into the valley and will lay bare her foundations.
7All her images will be smashed, all her prostitute’s pay burned with fire, and all her idols I will make desolate. For from prostitute’s pay she collected them and to prostitute’s pay they will return.
8Concerning this let me lament and howl. Let me walk barefoot and naked. I will make a howl like jackals and a mourning like ostriches.
9For her wounds are incurable. For it has come up to Judah. It has reached the gate of my people— even up to Jerusalem!
10Tell it not in Gath—weep not at all. At Beth-le-aphrah roll in the dust.
11Pass on, you who dwell in Saphir— nakedness and shame— she who dwells in Zaanan will not come out. Wailing of Beth-ezel: He will take from you its standing-place.
12For she who dwells in Maroth has languished for something good. For calamity has come down from Adonai to Jerusalem’s gate.
13Harness the chariot to the steed, O inhabitant of Lachish! It was the beginning of sin for the Daughter of Zion— because in you were found the rebellions of Israel.
14Therefore you will give parting gifts to Moresheth-gath—houses of Achzib as a deception to the kings of Israel.
15Yet I will bring the possessor to you, inhabitant of Mareshah. The glory of Israel will come as far as Adullam.
16Shave yourself bald, yes shear your hair for the children of your delight. Enlarge your bald spot like a vulture, for they went from you into exile.
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