1 The Lord gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The visions he saw concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem.
Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem
2 Attention! Let all the people of the world listen!
Let the earth and everything in it hear.
The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you;
the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.
3 Look! The Lord is coming!
He leaves his throne in heaven
and tramples the heights of the earth.
4 The mountains melt beneath his feet
and flow into the valleys
like wax in a fire,
like water pouring down a hill.
5 And why is this happening?
Because of the rebellion of Israel1:5 Hebrew Jacob; also in 1:5b. The names "Jacob" and "Israel" are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.—
yes, the sins of the whole nation.
Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion?
Samaria, its capital city!
Where is the center of idolatry in Judah?
In Jerusalem, its capital!
6 "So I, the Lord, will make the city of Samaria
a heap of ruins.
Her streets will be plowed up
for planting vineyards.
I will roll the stones of her walls into the valley below,
exposing her foundations.
7 All her carved images will be smashed.
All her sacred treasures will be burned.
These things were bought with the money
earned by her prostitution,
and they will now be carried away
to pay prostitutes elsewhere."
8 Therefore, I will mourn and lament.
I will walk around barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9 For my people’s wound
is too deep to heal.
It has reached into Judah,
even to the gates of Jerusalem.
10 Don’t tell our enemies in Gath1:10a Gath sounds like the Hebrew term for "tell.";
don’t weep at all.
You people in Beth-leaphrah,1:10b Beth-leaphrah means "house of dust."
roll in the dust to show your despair.
11 You people in Shaphir,1:11a Shaphir means "pleasant."
go as captives into exile—naked and ashamed.
The people of Zaanan1:11b Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew term for "come out."
dare not come outside their walls.
The people of Beth-ezel1:11c Beth-ezel means "adjoining house." mourn,
for their house has no support.
12 The people of Maroth1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew term for "bitter." anxiously wait for relief,
but only bitterness awaits them
as the Lord’s judgment reaches
even to the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Harness your chariot horses and flee,
you people of Lachish.1:13a Lachish sounds like the Hebrew term for "team of horses."
You were the first city in Judah
to follow Israel in her rebellion,
and you led Jerusalem1:13b Hebrew the daughter of Zion. into sin.
14 Send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath1:14a Moresheth sounds like the Hebrew term for "gift" or "dowry.";
there is no hope of saving it.
The town of Aczib1:14b Aczib means "deception."
has deceived the kings of Israel.
15 O people of Mareshah,1:15a Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew term for "conqueror."
I will bring a conqueror to capture your town.
And the leaders1:15b Hebrew the glory. of Israel
will go to Adullam.
16 Oh, people of Judah, shave your heads in sorrow,
for the children you love will be snatched away.
Make yourselves as bald as a vulture,
for your little ones will be exiled to distant lands.