1 T he word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, that he hath seen concerning Samaria and Jerusalem:

2 H ear, all you people; listen closely, O earth and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be witness among you and against you, the Lord from His holy temple.

Hear, O peoples, all of them! Attend, O earth, and its fulness, And the Lord Jehovah is against you for a witness, The Lord from His holy temple.

3 F or behold, the Lord comes forth out of His place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

For lo, Jehovah is going out from His place, And He hath come down, And hath trodden on high places of earth.

4 A nd the mountains shall melt under Him and the valleys shall be cleft like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.

Melted have been the mountains under Him, And the valleys do rend themselves, As wax from the presence of fire, As waters cast down by a slope.

5 A ll this is because of the transgression of Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high places in Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?

For the transgression of Jacob all this, And for the sins of the house of Israel. What the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what the high places of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?

6 T herefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards; and I will pour down into the ravine her stones and lay bare her foundations.

And I have set Samaria for a heap of the field, For plantations of a vineyard, And poured out into a valley her stones, And her foundations I uncover.

7 A nd all her carved images shall be broken in pieces, and all her hires shall be burned with fire, and all her idols will be laid waste; for from the hire of harlot she gathered them, and to the hire of harlot they shall return.

And all her graven images are beaten down, And all her gifts are burnt with fire, And all her idols I make a desolation, For, from the hire of a harlot she gathered, and unto the hire of a harlot they return.

8 T herefore I will lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals and a lamentation like the ostriches.

For this I lament and howl, I go spoiled and naked, I make a lamentation like dragons, And a mourning like daughters of an ostrich.

9 F or wounds are incurable and they come even to Judah; He has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.

For mortal her wounds, For it hath come unto Judah, It hath come to a gate of My people -- to Jerusalem.

10 I n Gath announce it not; in Acco weep not at all, in Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust.

In Gath tell ye not -- in Acco weep not, In Beth-Aphrah, in dust roll thyself.

11 P ass on your way, dwellers of Shaphir, in shameful nakedness. The dwellers of Zaanan dare not come forth; the wailing of Beth-ezel takes away from you the place on which it stands.

Pass over for thee, O inhabitant of Shaphir, Naked one of shame. Not gone out hath the inhabitant of Zaanan, The lamentation of Beth-Ezel doth take from you its standing.

12 F or the inhabitant of Maroth writhes in pain and waits anxiously for good, because evil comes down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.

For stayed for good hath the inhabitant of Maroth, For evil hath come down from Jehovah to the gate of Jerusalem.

13 B ind the chariot to the swift steed, O lady inhabitant of Lachish; you were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.

Bind the chariot to a swift beast, O inhabitant of Lachish, The beginning of sin she to the daughter of Zion, For in thee have been found the transgressions of Israel.

14 T herefore you must give parting gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib shall be a deception to the kings of Israel.

Therefore thou givest presents to Moresheth-Gath, The houses of Achzib become a lying thing to the kings of Israel.

15 Y et will I bring a conqueror upon you, O lady inhabitant of Mareshah, who shall possess you; the glory and nobility of Israel shall come to Adullam.

Yet the possessor I do bring in to thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah, To Adullam come in doth the honour of Israel.

16 M ake yourself bald in mourning and cut off your hair for the children of your delight; enlarge your baldness as the eagle, for shall be carried from you into exile.

Make bald and shave, for thy delightful sons, Enlarge thy baldness as an eagle, For they have removed from thee!