Mikha 1:12

1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth ¹  hope for something good to happen, ² 

though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem. ³ 

Mikha 2:10

2:10 But you are the ones who will be forced to leave! ⁴ 

For this land is not secure! ⁵ 

Sin will thoroughly destroy it! ⁶ 

Mikha 3:1

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ⁷  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁸  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ⁹ 

Mikha 4:6

Restoration Will Follow Crisis

4:6 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather the lame,

and assemble the outcasts whom I injured. ¹⁰ 

Mikha 6:1

The Lord Demands Justice, not Ritual

6:1 Listen to what the Lord says:

“Get up! Defend yourself ¹¹  before the mountains! ¹² 

Present your case before the hills!” ¹³ 

Mikha 7:5

7:5 Do not rely on a friend;

do not trust a companion!

Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms! ¹⁴ 

[1:12]  ¹ sn The place name Maroth sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.”

[1:12]  ² tc The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה (khalah; from חִיל, khil, “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה (yikhalah; from יָחַל, yakhal, “to wait”).

[1:12]  tn Heb “[the residents of Maroth] writhe [= “anxiously long for”?] good.”

[1:12]  ³ tn Heb “though disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.”

[2:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “Arise and go!” These imperatives are rhetorical. Those who wrongly drove widows and orphans from their homes and land inheritances will themselves be driven out of the land (cf. Isa 5:8-17). This is an example of poetic justice.

[2:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “for this is no resting place.” The Lord speaks to the oppressors.

[2:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “uncleanness will destroy, and destruction will be severe.”

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[4:6]  ¹⁰ sn The exiles of the nation are compared to lame and injured sheep.

[6:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “plead your case” (NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “present your plea”; NLT “state your case.”

[6:1]  sn Defend yourself. The Lord challenges Israel to defend itself against the charges he is bringing.

[6:1]  ¹² sn As in some ancient Near Eastern treaties, the mountains are personified as legal witnesses that will settle the dispute between God and Israel.

[6:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “let the hills hear your voice.”

[7:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from the one who lies in your arms, guard the doors of your mouth.”