From the Greek Septuagint text as used by First Century Christians.
This is a prophecy that was written around 750-BCE, which foretold the destruction of Samaria and the northern ten-tribe kingdom of IsraEl,
and which also foretold what would happen to Jerusalem before SenNacherIb the king of Assyria invaded their lands in the time of Judah’s King HezekiAh.
The prophecy then goes on to tell of JeruSalem’s destruction by Babylon and of how its people would thereafter be returned.
Is it poetry or isn’t it poetry?
Something that only a Bible translator would notice is that whenever God or His spokesperson are quoted, the words were in the form of Hebrew poetry,
since there is a definite cadence that can be noted in the original language. Therefore, because this is the chosen style of God, we have rendered it as it should be, in poetic verse.
Why did God and His spokesperson communicate through poetry?
Because poetic words provide memory aids that can be easily recalled to mind, so that the messages could be spread throughout the population via the most common medium of communication at the time, song.
The curious case of the changing personal pronouns:
Another thing that all translators notice when translating the words of the Prophets is the constant changing of the personal pronouns from the first to the third person in many of the pronouncements.
And what we have come to realize is that God didn’t personally speak to the Prophets. Rather, He sent His messages through a mediator, who appears to have been referred to as ‘The Word’ throughout the text.
Who Was Actually Talking?
You will notice herein that the text often changes to a quotation and then even to italics. WHY?
Understand that there are actually THREE voices being represented here… that of the Prophet, that of the angel who is bring the message from God, and the words of God Himself (which is usually overlooked in other Bibles).
How can we tell the difference? From the TENSES in which each verse is written.
If it is the Prophet speaking, he is talking about what was happing or what will be happening to his people.
If it is the angel (the Word) speaking, he is speaking of God in the third person.
And if it is God speaking, He is talking in the first person about what He will do.
Did we get it all right? Probably not, but it has been an honest attempt at doing so.

Chapter 1

¹ The Word of Jehovah came to MicAh the Morasthite in the days of JoTham, Ahaz, and HezekiAh (kings of Judah) and said this about the things he saw going on in Samaria and in JeruSalem.

² ‘Hear these words, O you peoples;
Also pay attention, you lands
And those that are dwelling within you!
For, from His Most Holy [Place],
Jehovah will now testify.

³ ‘{Look!} Jehovah will come from His place
And go down upon your high places,
Then seat Himself in the heights.

⁴ ‘The mountains will shake underneath Him,
And like beeswax in fire, the valleys will melt,
Then flow like water that rolls down a slope.

⁵ ‘Yes, He will do all these things
Because of Jacob’s irreverent ways
And because of the sins of the house of IsraEl.

‘Isn’t Samaria the irreverence of Jacob
And isn’t Judah’s sin, JeruSalem?

⁶ ‘So I’ll turn Samaria into a barn
Where the fruits of the fields can be stored
Along with the [grapes] of the vineyards.
I’ll tear down her stones in great chaos,
And her foundations, I will expose.

⁷ ‘I’ll cut her carved idols to pieces;
Her temple whores, I’ll burn in a fire;
And I’ll appoint her idols to extinction.
For she hired whores and gathered them there…
So the wages of whores are what I’ll destroy.

⁸ ‘For this, she’ll wail and beat on her breasts…
She will go barefoot and naked…
She’ll beat on her chest like a dragon,
And mourn like chained demon’s daughters.

⁹ ‘This calamity upon her will surely arrive;
For she went to Judah and JeruSalem
And touched the gates of my people.

¹⁰ ‘Now, those in Gath shouldn’t feel special,
Nor should those that are living in BakaIm…
And don’t laugh as you try to rebuild your homes,
For the land will be strewn with your laughter,
¹¹ And nothing good will come to your towns.

‘Then, those in ZaAnan will beat on their breasts
On behalf of the houses next door…
They’ll be grieved by the things that will happen to you.

¹² ‘For then, who’ll console her when she is sad
Over the bad things Jehovah will send,
Which will reach all the way to JeruSalem’s gates?

¹³ ‘They’ll hear the sounds of chariots and riders
[Attacking the City] of LachIsh.
For, they’re the ones who’ve been taking the lead
In the sins of the daughters of Zion…
All of IsraEl’s godless deeds can be found there!

¹⁴ ‘Because of this, they’ll be carried away
And become the inheritance of Gath…
Yes, even their poorest of homes.

¹⁵ ‘There, IsraEl’s kings won’t be valued…
The inheritance of Gath, they’ll become.
The people of LachIsh will then be their [slaves].
And off to AdulLam, they will carry
The glory of IsraEl’s daughters.

¹⁶ ‘So, shave [the heads of] your beloved young…
Make them as bald as the vultures;
For, they will all be carried away.

Chapter 2

¹ ‘When they came here, they were looking for trouble
And doing what’s bad in their beds.
They did it all during the daytime,
And they wouldn’t raise a hand to Jehovah.

² ‘Then, because they desired more fields,
They plundered orphans and tyrannized homes…
They plundered the people along with their homes…
Both the men and the things they’d inherit.

³ ‘It’s because of this, that thus says Jehovah:
{Look!} Against their tribe, I’m bringing what’s bad,
And thereafter, they won’t lift their necks
Or in any way walk erect…
Yes for them, it will be a very bad time!

⁴ ‘In that day, they’ll be saying these words…
They’ll raise this lament in a song:
In our miserable condition, we knew misery;
For our people were [led off in] lines,
And no one [came here] to stop it
Or to bargain for their return;
So their fields were thereafter divided [as loot].

⁵ ‘Now, no one will measure allotments
For those in the Lord’s congregation.
⁶ You’ll weep and cry for these things;
But I won’t remove all your scorn.

⁷ ‘Then, this is what they’ll say about you:
Because the house of Jacob provoked
Jehovah’s Spirit to rage,
These are the things that He did;
For His words and His ways are all straight and good!

⁸ ‘[Through the years], my people have shown
A hatred and resistance to peace.
So they’ve flayed the skin [of those passing by],
[And brought on themselves] the conflict of war.

⁹ ‘Now the leaders of my people will be driven from their homes…
They’ll be pushed away, because they’re so bad!
So, flee to the mountains of the ages,
¹⁰ Since for you, there will be no rest,
Because you’re corrupt and unclean!

¹¹ ‘So you’ll run when no one is chasing,
Because of your lying spirit,
Which trickles upon you like the wine and strong drink
That you’ve gained from the sweat of your people.

¹² ‘But, after some time, they’ll return…
I’ll gather Jacob along with the rest,
And I’ll search for IsraEl’s remnants…
I’ll collect them and I will return them
Like sheep that have gone through hard times…
They will jump away from those people,
And in their own pastures, they’ll live as one flock.

¹³ ‘They’ll [run] though the breach that’s before them,
For the gate will be cut so they can escape.
And before them, will travel their king…
Yes, they will be led by their Lord.

Chapter 3

¹ ‘So listen, you head ones of Jacob,
And the rest that are left of IsraEl’s house!

‘When will you learn to do what is fair?
² Since you’ve hated what’s good and searched for what’s bad;
They’ll reach out for you and tear off your skin,
Then rip the flesh from your bones,
³ The same as you’ve eaten the flesh of my people
And flayed off all of their skin…
Then you broke their bones as flesh for the pot,
And as meat for the cauldron.

⁴ ‘So, you will cry out to Jehovah,
But He won’t listen to you…
He’ll just turn His face at that time,
Because of the wicked things that you’ve done.

⁵ ‘So, to the prophets, Jehovah declares
(To those misleading His people…
Those clenching their teeth as they proclaim peace
When [God hasn’t put] any [words] in their mouths):
A holy war, I’ll be sending to you
⁶ Because [you have told them] such things.

‘Then you’ll see no more visions during the nights…
You’ll just see darkness (not light).
For the sun will not rise on you prophets,
And the days will darken before you.

⁷ ‘Disgrace will then come to those that dream dreams,
And those telling the future will be ridiculed.
About them, all will speak badly,
And no one will listen to the things that they say.

⁸ ‘However, I will be filled
With the strength and the Breath of Jehovah,
As well as with His justice and might,
So I can report the irreverence of Jacob
And speak to IsraEl about all their sins.

⁹ ‘Therefore, listen to this, O leaders of Jacob,
And you remnants of the house of IsraEl…
You who hate what is fair and twist what is straight…
¹⁰ You who’ve built Zion on blood
And filled JeruSalem with injustice!

¹¹ ‘For your leaders take bribes when they judge;
Your priests require a wage for replies;
And your prophets ask for silver when they prophesy.
Yet they still rest upon Jehovah and say:
Isn’t Jehovah among us?
No way will He bring bad things on us!

¹² And it is for all of these reasons
That Zion will be plowed like a field;
JeruSalem will become empty barns;
And the Temple Mount, just a place in the woods.

Chapter 4

¹ ‘But, in the last days,
They will see the Mountain of Jehovah
Sitting above the rest of the mountains,
Raised higher than all of the hills,
And to it, all the peoples will run.

² ‘Many nations will go there and say:
Let’s ascend the Mountain of Jehovah
And enter the [Temple] of Jacob’s God.
For there, He will show us His ways,
And we will thereafter walk in His paths!

‘For, Laws will come out of Zion…
And from JeruSalem, the Word of Jehovah
³ Will serve as judge between peoples,
And make decisions among distant tribes.

‘Then they’ll cut their swords into plows,
And [they’ll beat] their spears into sickles.
Nation won’t rise against nation again,
Nor will they learn war anymore.

⁴ ‘Under their own grapevines, each person will sit,
And they’ll rest beneath their own fig trees…
For, none will make them afraid anymore.
(This was said by the mouth of Jehovah the Almighty).

⁵ ‘And though other people may go their own way;
You will walk in the Name of your God
From the present and into the ages.

⁶ ‘And in that day, says Jehovah;
I’ll regather all those that were broken
(The ones that I once had discarded),
And I’ll welcome back those that I’ve pushed away.

⁷ ‘Yes, those that are broken, I’ll welcome,
And I’ll make a great nation of them once again…
Of those that I once pushed away!
And thereafter, and into the ages,
Their Lord will rule from Mount Zion.

⁸ ‘But now, upon you, O tower of the flock…
Yes you, O JeruSalem’s daughter
(You austere offspring of Zion);
The foremost of Babylon’s kings
Will come here and enter your [gates]!

⁹ ‘For, why did you learn to do such bad things…
Wasn’t there a king here among you,
And has all good council now perished?

‘So, pangs are what you’ll have to endure
Like a woman that’s about to give birth.
¹⁰ But hang on and take courage, O daughter of Zion,
As [a woman] that is giving birth!

‘For what’s coming to you is a city
That will set up its camps in your plains…
And then, to Babylon, they’ll take you.
But your God, Jehovah, will save you from there,
And ransom you from your enemies’ hands.

¹¹ ‘Now, many nations have come against you,
And this is what they are saying:
Our eyes will rejoice as we gaze on Zion!

¹² ‘But they don’t know the ways of Jehovah,
And His council, they don’t comprehend.
For like sheaves [of grain], they’ll be gathered,
And on a threshing floor, they’ll be piled,
¹³ So that you can thresh them, O daughter of Zion!

‘For I’ll turn your horns into iron,
And I’ll turn your hoofs into brass.
Then, I will dissolve many peoples,
And you will carry all their abundance
As well as their strength to the Lord of the earth.

Chapter 5

¹ ‘Now the daughter of Zion has a reason to fear,
For upon her, He has decreed war,
And they’ll strike IsraEl’s tribes on the jaw!

² ‘Then from you, O BethLehem of EphRatha
(The few among the thousands of Judah),
Will come a man who’ll be IsraEl’s king…
One whose [roots] are from the most ancient times
And from the days of the ages.

³ ‘And because of this, he’ll appoint her
A time that will be [like the giving] of birth.
For thereafter, she’ll [really] give birth
To the remnant of those who are brothers,
And to the sons of IsraEl, they will return.

⁴ ‘Yes, by the strength of Jehovah,
A shepherd will rise to [watch over] them,
And they’ll bask in the glory of the Name of their God,
Which will then become known to the ends of the earth.

⁵ ‘And this is [the sign that there will be] peace:
When the Assyrians arrive in your land
And they climb onto your place.
But seven shepherds will then rise against them
[And whip them] with the eight strokes of men.

⁶ ‘They’ll shepherd Assyria with a broadsword,
And the land of Nimrod [will serve as] her grave.
For, from the Assyrians, He’ll save you,
When against your land, they’ve ascended,
And when they’ve crossed over your borders.

⁷ ‘Thereafter, the few of Jacob that remain
Will [be scattered] among many peoples.
But, like the dew that falls from the Lord,
And like the lambs [that are fed] on wild grass;
They will be gathered by no one,
Nor before sons of men, will they stand.

⁸ ‘And though the remnant of Jacob
Will be [scattered] among all the nations
And dwell among many peoples;
They will be like lions among cattle …
As bear cubs among flocks of sheep.

‘Then they will go through and scatter their prey…
None of which will be saved.
⁹ Then they’ll lift their hands against their opponents,
And their enemies will all be destroyed.

¹⁰ ‘But [before] that day, says Jehovah;
I’ll destroy all your horses and chariots…
¹¹ All the cities in your land will wiped away,
And I will remove all your forts.

¹² ‘From your hands, I’ll wipe out your potions,
And there’ll be no fortune tellers among you.
¹³ I’ll also destroy all the idols you’ve carved
And remove the sacred stones from your midst…
You’ll [no longer] bow to the works of your hands.

¹⁴ ‘I’ll cut down all of your sacred poles
And wipe away all of your cities.
¹⁵ Then, in My anger and rage,
I’ll send My vengeance to the rest of the nations,
Because they too failed to listen!

Chapter 6

¹ ‘So, hear indeed, what Jehovah has said!
Arise and plead with the mountains…
Let all the hills hear what He’s said!

² ‘Yes, listen, O mountains, to the judgments of God…
You foundations of the earth and its valleys!
For between Jehovah and His people
There is a case to be tried…
And with IsraEl, He’s going to war!

³ ‘O My people, what did I do…
Tell Me what trouble I’ve caused you!
⁴ From the land of Egypt, I led you…
From the house of slaves, I ransomed you back,
And before your face, I had sent you
Miriam, Aaron, and Moses!

⁵ ‘Remember the plans that Moab’s King Balak
Had once made against you,
And the answers that BalaAm (the son of BeOr)
Was given from Shittim to GilGal,
So he’d know the righteous ways of the Lord.

⁶ ‘Yes, how can you conquer Jehovah?
Can you snatch Him down from the heights?
With your whole burnt-offerings, can you beat Him,
Or with [the blood of] one-year-old calves? No!

⁷ ‘Will Jehovah [be swayed] by a thousand male sheep
Or ten thousand one-year-old calves? No!
For your sins, can you offer your first-born? No!
Can you offer the first fruits that come from your bellies
To cover [the sins] in your lives? No!

⁸ ‘To you, He’s explained it, O man…
All the things that are righteous.
And all that Jehovah requires
Is for you to be fair and love mercy,
And to be ready to walk with your God!

⁹ ‘So the voice of Jehovah is calling to you,
And those fearing His Name will be saved.
So, listen to this, O you tribes:
Who will be the adornment of your cities?
¹⁰ Won’t the homes of Law breakers be burned
Along with [the houses] of those loving crimes…
All the insolent and the unrighteous?

¹¹ ‘Will I overlook all of your wicked scales
And your bags of deceptive weights?
¹² Will your irreverent ways be covered by wealth?
And all you liars that live there;
Will your [wicked] tongues [bring praise] from your mouths? No!

¹³ ‘For your sins, I’ll torment you to extinction,
¹⁴ Then you’ll eat and never be filled.
I’ll banish you, and you will be lost
(No way will you be preserved);
And the survivors, I’ll hand to the broadsword.

¹⁵ ‘Then, though you may plant, you won’t reap;
And though you’ll press olives, you will not anoint,
Nor will you drink any wine…
Since the Laws of My people will be wiped away.

¹⁶ ‘For the rules of Omri, are what you have chosen,
As well as the deeds of the house of Ahab.
Yes, you have chosen their plans
So you wouldn’t be laughed at by others…
Thus, I’m bringing extinction upon you.

Chapter 7

¹ ‘I’m like a man that gleans stubble in the harvest,
Or one who gleans grapes after they’re gone…
Those ripe ones for which my soul craves (woe is me)!

² ‘For the upright have all been wiped from the land…
Those that walk straight, no longer exist,
And all righteous blood has been squeezed
By the oppression of their neighbors,
³ Whose hands are doing whatever is bad.

‘Your rulers now ask you for gifts
And your judges [give rulings] for bribes…
Yet, this is what your souls have desired!

⁴ ‘So He’ll take away all your good things
Like a moth chewing through woolen clothes
[On behalf of those] found walking straight lines
In the day that they’re being inspected.

‘Yes, woe to you, for your punishment is due,
And soon you all will be weeping.

⁵ ‘So, don’t confide in your friends,
And put no hope in your leaders!
Watch out for the one who sleeps in your bed…
To her, show nothing at all!

⁶ ‘For, sons will dishonor their fathers,
And daughters will oppose their own mothers…
It is daughters-in-law against mothers-in-law,
And your enemies will be those in your own homes.’

⁷ But, I will look to my Lord…
On my Savior, Jehovah, I’ll wait,
And my God will listen to me.

⁸ So, enemies of mine, do not rejoice,
For though I’ve fallen, I will rise again.
And if I must sit in the darkness,
Jehovah will provide me with light.

⁹ Yes, I’ll endure the rage of Jehovah;
For against Him, I’m also a sinner.
But I’ll wait until He sends justice…
Until He shows me His judgments
And leads me into the light,
Where I’ll look to His righteous ways.

¹⁰ Then, upon my enemies, I’ll gaze,
For then, they must bear all their shame;
Since they’re the ones that once asked me,
So, where is Jehovah, your God?

[For Jehovah says]:
‘My eyes have noticed these things,
So I’ll trample on her like mud in the streets…
¹¹ Like mortar on bricks, she’ll be wiped away,
And her rules will be gone in that day.

¹² ‘Your cities will then all be leveled
And by the Assyrians, they’ll be subdivided.
Yes your fortified cities will be given away
From Tyre down to the [Nile] river…
From mountain to mountain and sea to sea!

¹³ ‘For the land will all be destroyed,
Along with [the people] who live there…
It’s the fruitage of the things that they’ve done.’

¹⁴ [O God;]
Tend Your people with Your mighty rod;
For, they are Your inherited sheep…
May they camp all alone in the woods
And [on the sides] of [Mount] Carmel!

In BaShan and GileAd, please feed them
As You did for them back in that age
¹⁵ When [You led] them from Egypt.

¹⁶ ‘Yes, wonderful things, I will show them,
Which the nations will see in disgrace.
For [the nations will lose] all their strength…
They’ll place their hands over their mouths
And they will cover their ears.
¹⁷ Then they’ll lick the dust just like snakes
That slither along on the ground.
And because of this, they’ll then be confused.’

Yes by God, they will be amazed…
But, they must learn how to fear Him!
¹⁸ For, to what other god can He be compared?

[O Lord];
As You remove the unrighteous,
[Please overlook] the irreverence
Of Your inherited ones that are left…
Hold back Your rage for the things that You’ve seen,
And please show mercy upon us!

¹⁹ Please turn around and show pity on us,
But, sink our unrighteous ways…
Cast our sins into the depths of the seas.

²⁰ Then to Jacob, please send what is true,
And on AbraHam’s [seed], please show mercy,
As You swore in Your oath to our fathers.

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