1 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:

¶ The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

2 H ear, 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.

Hear, all ye peoples; hearken, O earth, and all that is therein: and the Lord GOD, the Lord from his holy temple shall be a witness against you.

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

For, behold, the LORD comes forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

4 M elted 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.

And the mountains shall melt under him, and the valleys shall be split, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that run down a steep place.

5 F or 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?

All this for the rebellion of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?

6 A nd 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.

Therefore I will make Samaria into heaps in the field, into a land of vineyards: and I will scatter her stones throughout the valley, and I will uncover her foundations.

7 A nd 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.

And all her graven images shall be broken to pieces, and all her gifts shall be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols, for she gathered it of the gifts of harlots, and they shall return unto gifts of harlots.

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

¶ Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons and mourning as the owls.

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

For her wound is painful, for it is come unto Judah; it is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

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

Do not declare it in Gath, weep little; roll thyself in the dust for the house of Aphrah.

11 P ass 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.

Pass away naked with shame, thou inhabitant of Saphir: the inhabitant of Zaanan did not come forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you for his lateness.

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

For the inhabitant of Maroth was pained because of good; therefore evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.

13 B ind 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.

O thou inhabitant of Lachish, hitch the chariot to dromedaries: for thou wert the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion, for in thee the rebellions of Israel were invented.

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

Therefore shalt thou give gifts to Moreshethgath; the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

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

Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come unto Adullam.

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

Make thee bald, and shave thee for the sons of thy delight; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle, for they are gone into captivity from thee.