1 This is the Word of the Lord which came to Micah of Moresheth about Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Israel Is Judged

² Hear, O people, all of you. Listen, O earth and all who are in it. The Lord God will speak against you from His holy house. ³ See, the Lord is coming from His place. He will come down and walk on the high places of the earth. ⁴ The mountains will melt under Him and the valleys will break open, like a candle in front of the fire, like water poured down a hill. ⁵ All this is because Jacob would not obey and because of the sins of the people of Israel. What is Jacob’s sin? Is it not Samaria? What is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? ⁶ So I will make Samaria a waste in the open country, making it a place to plant grape-fields. I will pour her stones down into the valley, and lay open the base of the city. ⁷ All of her false gods will be broken to pieces. Everything given in the place of worship will be burned with fire. I will destroy all her objects of worship, for she gathered them from the pay of a woman who sells the use of her body. They will return to pay a woman who sells the use of her body.

Jerusalem Will Be Taken

⁸ Because of this I must cry out in sorrow. I must go without shoes and clothing. I must cry out like the wild dogs, and cry in sorrow like the ostriches. ⁹ For her hurt cannot be cured. It has come to Judah. It has come to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Do not tell about it in Gath. Do not cry at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah. ¹¹ Go on your way, people of Shaphir, without clothing and in shame. The people of Zaanan do not come out. Cries of sorrow come from Beth-ezel. Its help is taken from you. ¹² Those who live in Maroth become weak waiting for good, because trouble has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. ¹³ Tie the war-wagons to the horses, you people of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the people of Zion, for the sins of Israel were found in you. ¹⁴ So give gifts to Moresheth-gath. The people of Achzib will fool the kings of Israel. ¹⁵ I will bring one who will beat you in battle, O people of Mareshah. The shining-greatness of Israel will come to Adullam. ¹⁶ Cut off all your hair in sorrow for the children you love. Let no hair be on your head like the eagle, for your children will be taken away from you.

It Is Bad for Wrong-Doers

2 It is bad for those who make plans to do wrong, who lie on their beds thinking of something sinful to do! When morning comes, they do it, because it is in their power. ² They want fields that belong to someone else, and take them. They want houses, and take them. They rob a man and his house, a man and what has been given to him. ³ So the Lord says, “I am planning trouble against this family, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk in pride, for it will be a time of much trouble. ⁴ On that day they will make fun of you and sing a bitter song of sorrow, saying, ‘We are destroyed and everything is gone! My people’s land is divided. He takes it from me! He gives our fields to those who turned against us.’” ⁵ So you will have no one among the Lord’s people to divide the land in a right way for you.

Men Who Lie

⁶ “The people say to me, ‘Do not speak about these things, because we will not be put to shame.’ ⁷ Should it be said, O people of Jacob: “Is the Spirit of the Lord angry? Would He do such things? Do not My Words do good to the one whose way is right and good? ⁸ My people have begun to hate those who are at peace with them. You pull the coat off from a brother Israelite, from those who pass by in peace like men returning from war. ⁹ You drive the women of My people away from their beautiful houses. You take My greatness away from their children forever. ¹⁰ Get up and go away, for this is no place of rest, because it is made unclean. It is destroyed with much suffering. ¹¹ If a man comes speaking lies and says, ‘I will speak to you about wine and strong drink,’ he would be the one for these people!

Israel Is Gathered Together

¹² “I will gather all of you together, Jacob. I will gather all those left of Israel. I will put them together like sheep within a fence, like a flock in its field. The land will be filled with the noise of many people. ¹³ The One Who breaks open the way will go out before them. They will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, and the Lord will lead them.”