Mikha 7:14-15

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ¹ 

the flock that belongs to you, ² 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ³ 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ⁴ 

as they did in the old days. ⁵ 

7:15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt,

I will show you ⁶  miraculous deeds.” ⁷ 

[7:14]  ¹ tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ² tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ³ tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.

[7:14]  sn The point seems to be that Israel is in a vulnerable position, like sheep in a thicket populated by predators, while rich pastureland (their homeland and God’s blessings) is in view.

[7:14]  ⁴ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”

[7:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “him.” This probably refers to Israel in a collective sense. Because the switch from direct address to the third person is awkward, some prefer to emend the suffix to a second person form. In any case, it is necessary to employ a second person pronoun in the translation to maintain the connection for the English reader.

[7:15]  ⁷ sn I will show you miraculous deeds. In this verse the Lord responds to the petition of v. 14 with a brief promise of deliverance.