Mikha 4:2

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ¹  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ² 

and we can live by his laws.” ³ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ⁴ 

Mikha 5:4

5:4 He will assume his post ⁵  and shepherd the people ⁶  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ⁷ 

They will live securely, ⁸  for at that time he will be honored ⁹ 

even in the distant regions of ¹⁰  the earth.

Mikha 7:4

7:4 The best of them is like a thorn;

the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. ¹¹ 

The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen –

your appointed time of punishment – is on the way, ¹² 

and then you will experience confusion. ¹³ 

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ² tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ³ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[4:2]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ⁶ tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ⁸ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “to the ends of.”

[7:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[the] godly from a row of thorn bushes.” The preposition מִן (min) is comparative and the comparative element (perhaps “sharper” is the idea) is omitted. See BDB 582 s.v. 6 and GKC 431 §133.e.

[7:4]  ¹² tn Heb “the day of your watchmen, your appointed [time], is coming.” The present translation takes “watchmen” to refer to actual sentries. However, the “watchmen” could refer figuratively to the prophets who had warned Judah of approaching judgment. In this case one could translate, “The day your prophets warned about – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way.”

[7:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “and now will be their confusion.”