Mikha 4:10

4:10 Twist and strain, ¹  Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor!

For you will leave the city

and live in the open field.

You will go to Babylon,

but there you will be rescued.

There the Lord will deliver ²  you

from the power ³  of your enemies.

Mikha 6:13

6:13 I will strike you brutally ⁴ 

and destroy you because of your sin.

Mikha 6:4

6:4 In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt,

I delivered you from that place of slavery.

I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. ⁵ 

Mikha 4:9

4:9 Jerusalem, why are you ⁶  now shouting so loudly? ⁷ 

Has your king disappeared? ⁸ 

Has your wise leader ⁹  been destroyed?

Is this why ¹⁰  pain grips ¹¹  you as if you were a woman in labor?

Mikha 6:3

6:3 “My people, how have I wronged you? ¹² 

How have I wearied you? Answer me!

Mikha 6:15

6:15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them;

you will squeeze oil from the olives, ¹³  but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; ¹⁴ 

you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink. ¹⁵ 

Mikha 7:20

7:20 You will be loyal to Jacob

and extend your loyal love to Abraham, ¹⁶ 

which you promised on oath to our ancestors ¹⁷ 

in ancient times. ¹⁸ 

Mikha 6:16

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,

and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; ¹⁹ 

you follow their policies. ²⁰ 

Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, ²¹ 

the city’s ²²  inhabitants will be taunted derisively, ²³ 

and nations will mock all of you.” ²⁴ 

Mikha 4:8

4:8 As for you, watchtower for the flock, ²⁵ 

fortress of Daughter Zion ²⁶  –

your former dominion will be restored, ²⁷ 

the sovereignty that belongs to Daughter Jerusalem.

Mikha 7:18

7:18 There is no other God like you! ²⁸ 

You ²⁹  forgive sin

and pardon ³⁰  the rebellion

of those who remain among your people. ³¹ 

You do not remain angry forever, ³² 

but delight in showing loyal love.

Mikha 6:14

6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied.

Even if you have the strength ³³  to overtake some prey, ³⁴ 

you will not be able to carry it away; ³⁵ 

if you do happen to carry away something,

I will deliver it over to the sword.

Mikha 5:2

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, ³⁶ 

seemingly insignificant ³⁷  among the clans of Judah –

from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, ³⁸ 

one whose origins ³⁹  are in the distant past. ⁴⁰ 

Mikha 6:5

6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, ⁴¹ 

how Balaam son of Beor responded to him.

Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal,

so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.” ⁴² 

Mikha 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ⁴³ 

He wants you to ⁴⁴  promote ⁴⁵  justice, to be faithful, ⁴⁶ 

and to live obediently before ⁴⁷  your God.

Mikha 4:11

4:11 Many nations have now assembled against you.

They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, ⁴⁸ 

so we can gloat over Zion!” ⁴⁹ 

Mikha 7:15

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

I will show you ⁵⁰  miraculous deeds.” ⁵¹ 

Mikha 7:19

7:19 You will once again ⁵²  have mercy on us;

you will conquer ⁵³  our evil deeds;

you will hurl our ⁵⁴  sins into the depths of the sea. ⁵⁵ 

Mikha 4:13--5:1

4:13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion!

For I will give you iron horns; ⁵⁶ 

I will give you bronze hooves,

and you will crush many nations.” ⁵⁷ 

You will devote to the Lord the spoils you take from them,

and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler ⁵⁸  of the whole earth. ⁵⁹ 

5:1 (4:14) ⁶⁰  But now slash yourself, ⁶¹  daughter surrounded by soldiers! ⁶² 

We are besieged!

With a scepter ⁶³  they strike Israel’s ruler ⁶⁴ 

on the side of his face.

Mikha 5:13

5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;

you will no longer worship what your own hands made.

Mikha 1:11

1:11 Residents ⁶⁵  of Shaphir, ⁶⁶  pass by in nakedness and humiliation! ⁶⁷ 

The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. ⁶⁸ 

Beth Ezel ⁶⁹  mourns, ⁷⁰ 

“He takes from you what he desires.” ⁷¹ 

Mikha 7:8

Jerusalem Will Be Vindicated

7:8 My enemies, ⁷²  do not gloat ⁷³  over me!

Though I have fallen, I will get up.

Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. ⁷⁴ 

Mikha 1:14-15

1:14 Therefore you ⁷⁵  will have to say farewell ⁷⁶  to Moresheth Gath.

The residents ⁷⁷  of Achzib ⁷⁸  will be as disappointing

as a dried up well ⁷⁹  to the kings of Israel. ⁸⁰ 

1:15 Residents of Mareshah, ⁸¹  a conqueror will attack you, ⁸² 

the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam. ⁸³ 

Mikha 5:12

5:12 I will remove the sorcery ⁸⁴  that you practice, ⁸⁵ 

and you will no longer have omen readers living among you. ⁸⁶ 

Mikha 6:1

The Lord Demands Justice, not Ritual

6:1 Listen to what the Lord says:

“Get up! Defend yourself ⁸⁷  before the mountains! ⁸⁸ 

Present your case before the hills!” ⁸⁹ 

Mikha 1:13

1:13 Residents of Lachish, ⁹⁰  hitch the horses to the chariots!

You ⁹¹  influenced Daughter Zion ⁹²  to sin, ⁹³ 

for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back ⁹⁴  to you!

Mikha 7:12

A Closing Prayer

7:12 In that day people ⁹⁵  will come to you ⁹⁶ 

from Assyria as far as ⁹⁷  Egypt,

from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, ⁹⁸ 

from the seacoasts ⁹⁹  and the mountains. ¹⁰⁰ 

Mikha 2:12

The Lord Will Restore His People

2:12 I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob,

I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain. ¹⁰¹ 

I will bring them together like sheep in a fold, ¹⁰² 

like a flock in the middle of a pasture; ¹⁰³ 

they will be so numerous that they will make a lot of noise. ¹⁰⁴ 

Mikha 7:17

7:17 They will lick the dust like a snake,

like serpents crawling on the ground. ¹⁰⁵ 

They will come trembling from their strongholds

to the Lord our God; ¹⁰⁶ 

they will be terrified ¹⁰⁷  of you. ¹⁰⁸ 

[4:10]  ¹ tn Or perhaps “scream”; NRSV, TEV, NLT “groan.”

[4:10]  ² tn Or “redeem” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[4:10]  ³ tn Heb “hand.” The Hebrew idiom is a metonymy for power or control.

[6:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “and also I, I will make you sick, striking you.”

[6:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “before you.”

[4:9]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew form is feminine singular, indicating that Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, is now addressed (see v. 10). In v. 8 the tower/fortress was addressed with masculine forms, so there is clearly a shift in addressee here. “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation at the beginning of v. 9 to make this shift apparent.

[4:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”

[4:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”

[4:9]  ⁹ tn Traditionally, “counselor” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the king mentioned in the previous line; the title points to the king’s roles as chief strategist and policy maker, both of which required extraordinary wisdom.

[4:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “that.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is used here in a resultative sense; for this use see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.

[4:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”

[6:3]  ¹² tn Heb “My people, what have I done to you?”

[6:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “you will tread olives.” Literally treading on olives with one’s feet could be harmful and would not supply the necessary pressure to release the oil. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 119. The Hebrew term דָּרַךְ (darakh) may have an idiomatic sense of “press” here, or perhaps the imagery of the following parallel line (referring to treading grapes) has dictated the word choice.

[6:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “but you will not rub yourselves with oil.”

[6:15]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and juice, but you will not drink wine.” The verb תִדְרֹךְ (tidrokh, “you will tread”) must be supplied from the preceding line.

[7:20]  ¹⁶ tn More literally, “You will extend loyalty to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham.

[7:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “our fathers.” The Hebrew term refers here to more distant ancestors, not immediate parents.

[7:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “which you swore [or, “pledged”] to our fathers from days of old.”

[6:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”

[6:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and you walk in their plans.”

[6:16]  sn The Omride dynasty, of which Ahab was the most infamous king, had a reputation for implementing unjust and oppressive measures. See 1 Kgs 21.

[6:16]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew term שַׁמָּה (shammah) can refer to “destruction; ruin,” or to the reaction it produces in those who witness the destruction.

[6:16]  ²² tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:16]  ²³ tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.

[6:16]  ²⁴ tc The translation assumes an emendation of the MT’s עַמִּי (’ammi, “my people”) to עַמִּים (’ammim, “nations”).

[6:16]  tn Heb “and the reproach of my people you will bear.” The second person verb is plural here, in contrast to the singular forms used in vv. 13-15.

[4:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Migdal-eder.” Some English versions transliterate this phrase, apparently because they view it as a place name (cf. NAB).

[4:8]  ²⁶ sn The city of David, located within Jerusalem, is addressed as Daughter Zion. As the home of the Davidic king, who was Israel’s shepherd (Ps 78:70-72), the royal citadel could be viewed metaphorically as the watchtower of the flock.

[4:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to you it will come, the former dominion will arrive.”

[7:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”

[7:18]  ²⁹ tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.

[7:18]  ³⁰ tn Heb “pass over.”

[7:18]  ³¹ tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”

[7:18]  ³² tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”

[6:14]  ³³ tc The first Hebrew term in the line (וְיֶשְׁחֲךָ, vÿyeshkhakha) is obscure. HALOT 446 s.v. יֶשַׁח understands a noun meaning “filth,” which would yield the translation, “and your filth is inside you.” The translation assumes an emendation to כֹּחַ-וְיֶשׁ (vÿyesh-koakh, “and [if] there is strength inside you”).

[6:14]  ³⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term וְתַסֵּג (vÿtasseg) is unclear. The translation assumes it is a Hiphal imperfect from נָסַג/נָשַׂג (nasag/nasag, “reach; overtake”) and that hunting imagery is employed. (Note the reference to hunger in the first line of the verse.) See D. R. Hillers, Micah (Hermeneia), 80.

[6:14]  ³⁵ tn The Hiphal of פָּלַט (palat) is used in Isa 5:29 of an animal carrying its prey to a secure place.

[5:2]  ³⁶ sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.

[5:2]  map For location of Bethlehem see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[5:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.

[5:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”

[5:2]  ³⁹ tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.

[5:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.

[5:2]  sn In riddle-like fashion this verse alludes to David, as the references to Bethlehem and to his ancient origins/activities indicate. The passage anticipates the second coming of the great king to usher in a new era of national glory for Israel. Other prophets are more direct and name this coming ideal ruler “David” (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos 3:5). Of course, this prophecy of “David’s” second coming is actually fulfilled through his descendant, the Messiah, who will rule in the spirit and power of his famous ancestor and bring to realization the Davidic royal ideal in an even greater way than the historical David (see Isa 11:1, 10; Jer 33:15).

[6:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “remember what Balak…planned.”

[6:5]  ⁴² tn Heb “From Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the Lord.” Something appears to be missing at the beginning of the line. The present translation supplies the words, “Recall how you went.” This apparently refers to how Israel crossed the Jordan River (see Josh 3:1; 4:19-24).

[6:8]  ⁴³ sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

[6:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”

[4:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “let her be desecrated.” the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and let our eye look upon Zion.”

[7:15]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ 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.

[7:19]  ⁵² tn The verb יָשׁוּב (yashuv, “he will return”) is here used adverbially in relation to the following verb, indicating that the Lord will again show mercy.

[7:19]  ⁵³ tn Some prefer to read יִכְבֹּס (yikhbos, “he will cleanse”; see HALOT 459 s.v. כבס pi). If the MT is taken as it stands, sin is personified as an enemy that the Lord subdues.

[7:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “their sins,” but the final mem (ם) may be enclitic rather than a pronominal suffix. In this case the suffix from the preceding line (“our”) may be understood as doing double duty.

[7:19]  ⁵⁵ sn In this metaphor the Lord disposes of Israel’s sins by throwing them into the waters of the sea (here symbolic of chaos).

[4:13]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “I will make your horn iron.”

[4:13]  ⁵⁷ sn Jerusalem (Daughter Zion at the beginning of the verse; cf. 4:8) is here compared to a powerful ox which crushes the grain on the threshing floor with its hooves.

[4:13]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “the Lord” (so many English versions); Heb “the master.”

[4:13]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and their wealth to the master of all the earth.” The verb “devote” does double duty in the parallelism and is supplied in the second line for clarification.

[4:13]  sn In vv. 11-13 the prophet jumps from the present crisis (which will result in exile, v. 10) to a time beyond the restoration of the exiles when God will protect his city from invaders. The Lord’s victory over the Assyrian armies in 701 b.c. foreshadowed this.

[5:1]  ⁶⁰ sn Beginning with 5:1, the verse numbers through 5:15 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 5:1 ET = 4:14 HT, 5:2 ET = 5:1 HT, 5:3 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:15 ET = 5:14 HT. From 6:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[5:1]  ⁶¹ tn The Hebrew verb גָדַד (gadad) can be translated “slash yourself” or “gather in troops.” A number of English translations are based on the latter meaning (e.g., NASB, NIV, NLT).

[5:1]  sn Slash yourself. Slashing one’s body was a form of mourning. See Deut 14:1; 1 Kgs 18:28; Jer 16:6; 41:5; 47:5.

[5:1]  ⁶² tn Heb “daughter of a troop of warriors.”

[5:1]  sn The daughter surrounded by soldiers is an image of the city of Jerusalem under siege (note the address “Daughter Jerusalem” in 4:8).

[5:1]  ⁶³ tn Or “staff”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “rod”; CEV “stick”; NCV “club.”

[5:1]  sn Striking a king with a scepter, a symbol of rulership, would be especially ironic and humiliating.

[5:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Traditionally, “the judge of Israel” (so KJV, NASB).

[1:11]  ⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew participial form, which is feminine singular, is here used in a collective sense for the all the residents of the town. See GKC 394 §122.s.

[1:11]  ⁶⁶ sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ⁶⁷ tn The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.

[1:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.”

[1:11]  sn The expression can’t leave their city alludes to a siege of the town. The place name Zaanan sounds like the verb “come out” (i.e., “can’t leave”) in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ⁶⁹ sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).

[1:11]  ⁷¹ tc The form עֶמְדָּתוֹ (’emdato) should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ (khamadto, “his (the conqueror’s) desire”).

[1:11]  tn The precise meaning of the line is uncertain. The translation assumes: (a) the subject of the third masculine singular verb יִקַּח (yiqqakh, “he/it takes”) is the conqueror, (b) the second masculine plural suffix (“you”) on the preposition מִן (min, “from”) refers to the residents of Shaphir and Zaanan, (c) the final form עֶמְדָּתוֹ should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ, “his (the conqueror’s) desire.”

[7:8]  ⁷² tn The singular form is understood as collective.

[7:8]  ⁷³ tn Or “rejoice” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “don’t laugh at me.”

[7:8]  ⁷⁴ sn Darkness represents judgment; light (also in v. 9) symbolizes deliverance. The Lord is the source of the latter.

[1:14]  ⁷⁵ tn The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.

[1:14]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “you will give a dowry to”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “give parting gifts to.” Lachish is compared to a father who presents wedding gifts to his daughter as she leaves her father’s home to take up residence with her husband. In similar fashion Lachish will bid farewell to Moresheth Gath, for the latter will be taken by the invader.

[1:14]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.

[1:14]  ⁷⁸ sn The place name Achzib (אַכְזִיב, ’akhziv, “place on the dried up river”; see HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב) creates a word play on the similar sounding term כָּזָב (kazav, “lie, deception”; HALOT 468 s.v. כָּזָב). Like the dried up river upon which its name was based, the city of Achzib would fail to help the kings of Israel in their time of need.

[1:14]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “will be a deception.” The term אַכְזָב (’akhzav) is often translated “deception,” as derived from the verb I כָּזָב (“to deceive, lie”; HALOT 467-68 s.v. I כזב). However, it probably means “what is dried up,” since (1) the noun elsewhere refers to an empty well or dried river in summer (Jer 15:18; cf. Job 6:15-20) (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); (2) the place-name “Achzib” (אַכְזִיב) literally means “place on the אַכְזָב [dried up river]” (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); and (3) it is derived from the verb II כָּזָב (“to dry up [brook]”; Isa 58:11), which also appears in Mishnaic Hebrew and Arabic. The point of the metaphor is that Achzib will be as disappointing to the kings of Israel as a dried up spring in the summer is to a thirsty traveler in the Jordanian desert.

[1:14]  ⁸⁰ sn Because of the enemy invasion, Achzib would not be able to deliver soldiers for the army and/or services normally rendered to the crown.

[1:15]  ⁸¹ sn The place name Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror.”

[1:15]  ⁸² tn Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the Lord would have to be the subject (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But the prophet appears to be delivering this lament and the Lord is referred to in the third person in v. 12. Consequently many emend the verb to a third person form (יָבוֹא, yavo’) and understand the “conqueror” as subject.

[1:15]  ⁸³ tn Heb “to Adullam the glory of Israel will go.” This probably means that the nation’s leadership will run for their lives and, like David of old, hide from their enemy in the caves of Adullam. Cf. NIV’s “He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam,” which sounds as if an individual is in view, and could be understood as a messianic reference.

[5:12]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “magic charms” (so NCV, TEV); NIV, NLT “witchcraft”; NAB “the means of divination.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is uncertain, but note its use in Isa 47:9, 12.

[5:12]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “from your hands.”

[5:12]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “and you will not have omen-readers.”

[6:1]  ⁸⁷ 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]  ⁸⁸ 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]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “let the hills hear your voice.”

[1:13]  ⁹⁰ sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”

[1:13]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.

[1:13]  ⁹² sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.

[1:13]  ⁹³ tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”

[1:13]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”

[7:12]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “they.” The referent has been specified as “people,” referring either to the nations (coming to God with their tribute) or to the exiles of Israel (returning to the Lord).

[7:12]  ⁹⁶ tn The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the Lord is addressed. Some emend to a feminine form and take Jerusalem as the addressee.

[7:12]  ⁹⁷ tc The MT reads וְעָרֵי (vÿ’arey, “and the cities [of Egypt]”), but the parallel line indicates this is a corruption of וְעַד (vÿ’ad, “even to”).

[7:12]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also NASB, NIV).

[7:12]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם (miyyam ’ad yam, “from sea to sea”).

[7:12]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר (umehar ’ad har, “and mountain to mountain”).

[2:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the remnant of Israel.”

[2:12]  ¹⁰² tc The MT reads בָּצְרָה (batsrah, “Bozrah”) but the form should be emended to בַּצִּרָה (batsirah, “into the fold”). See D. R. Hillers, Micah (Hermeneia), 38.

[2:12]  ¹⁰³ tc The MT reads “its pasture,” but the final vav (ו) belongs with the following verb. See GKC 413 §127.i.

[2:12]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “and they will be noisy [or perhaps, “excited”] from men.” The subject of the third feminine plural verb תְּהִימֶנָה (tÿhimenah, “they will be noisy”) is probably the feminine singular צֹאן (tso’n, “flock”). (For another example of this collective singular noun with a feminine plural verb, see Gen 30:38.) In the construction מֵאָדָם (me’adam, “from men”) the preposition is probably causal. L. C. Allen translates “bleating in fear of men” (Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah [NICOT], 300), but it is possible to take the causal sense as “because of the large quantity of men.” In this case the sheep metaphor and the underlying reality are mixed.

[7:17]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “like crawling things on the ground.” The parallelism suggests snakes are in view.

[7:17]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Thetranslationassumesthatthe phrase אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ (’el-yÿhvah ’elohenu, “to the Lord our God”) goes with what precedes. Another option is to take the phrase with the following verb, in which case one could translate, “to the Lord our God they will turn in dread.”

[7:17]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “they will be in dread and afraid.”

[7:17]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The Lord is addressed directly using the second person.