Mikha 2:6

2:6 ‘Don’t preach with such impassioned rhetoric,’ they say excitedly. ¹ 

‘These prophets should not preach of such things;

we will not be overtaken by humiliation.’ ² 

Mikha 3:7

3:7 The prophets ³  will be ashamed;

the omen readers will be humiliated.

All of them will cover their mouths, ⁴ 

for they will receive no divine oracles.” ⁵ 

Mikha 3:9

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ⁶  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁷  of Israel!

You ⁸  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

[2:6]  ¹ tn Heb “‘Do not foam at the mouth,’ they foam at the mouth.” The verb נָטַף (nataf) means “to drip.” When used of speech it probably has the nuance “to drivel, to foam at the mouth” (HALOT 694 s.v. נטף). The sinful people tell the Lord’s prophets not to “foam at the mouth,” which probably refers in a derogatory way to their impassioned style of delivery. But the Lord (who is probably still speaking here, see v. 3) sarcastically refers to their impassioned exhortation as “foaming at the mouth.”

[2:6]  ² tc If one follows the MT as it stands, it would appear that the Lord here condemns the people for their “foaming at the mouth” and then announces that judgment is inevitable. The present translation assumes that this is a continuation of the quotation of what the people say. In this case the subject of “foam at the mouth” is the Lord’s prophets. In the second line יִסַּג (yissag, a Niphal imperfect from סוּג, sug, “to remove”) is emended to יַסִּגֵנוּ (yassigenu; a Hiphil imperfect from נָסַג/נָשַׂג, nasag/nasag, “to reach; to overtake”).

[2:6]  tn Heb “they should not foam at the mouth concerning these things, humiliation will not be removed.”

[3:7]  ³ tn Or “seers.”

[3:7]  ⁴ tn Or “the mustache,” or perhaps “the beard.” Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “cover their lips.”

[3:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “for there will be no answer from God.”

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).