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1. Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

¹ The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

    ² Hear, you peoples, all of you,
   listen, earth and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign LORD may bear witness against you,
   the Lord from his holy temple.

Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

    ³ Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place;
   he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth.
⁴ The mountains melt beneath him
   and the valleys split apart,
like wax before the fire,
   like water rushing down a slope.
⁵ All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
   because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
   Is it not Samaria?
What is Judah’s high place?
   Is it not Jerusalem?

    ⁶ “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
   a place for planting vineyards.
I will pour her stones into the valley
   and lay bare her foundations.
⁷ All her idols will be broken to pieces;
   all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
   I will destroy all her images.
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,
   as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”

Weeping and Mourning

    ⁸ Because of this I will weep and wail;
   I will go about barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
   and moan like an owl.
⁹ For Samaria’s plague is incurable;
   it has spread to Judah.
It has reached the very gate of my people,
   even to Jerusalem itself.
¹⁰ Tell it not in Gath Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.;
   weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah Beth Ophrah means house of dust.
   roll in the dust.
¹¹ Pass by naked and in shame,
   you who live in Shaphir. Shaphir means pleasant.
Those who live in Zaanan Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.
   will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
   it no longer protects you.
¹² Those who live in Maroth Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter. writhe in pain,
   waiting for relief,
because disaster has come from the LORD,
   even to the gate of Jerusalem.
¹³ You who live in Lachish,
   harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion began,
   for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
¹⁴ Therefore you will give parting gifts
   to Moresheth Gath.
The town of Akzib Akzib means deception. will prove deceptive
   to the kings of Israel.
¹⁵ I will bring a conqueror against you
   who live in Mareshah. Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.
The nobles of Israel
   will flee to Adullam.
¹⁶ Shave your head in mourning
   for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
   for they will go from you into exile.

The Prophet joins here another city even Maroth, and others also in the following verses. But in this verse he says, that Maroth would be in sorrow for a lost good. The verb חול, chul, means to grieve; and it has this sense here; for the Marothites, that is, the inhabitants of that city, would have to grieve for losing their property and their former happy condition. But as the verb means also to expect, some approve of a different exposition, that is, — that the inhabitants of the city Maroth would in vain depend on an empty and fallacious expectation, for they were doomed to utter destruction. In vain then will the inhabitant of Maroth expect or entertain hope; for an evil descends from Jehovah to the gate of the city. This view is very suitable, that is, that its hope will disappoint Maroth, since even the city of Jerusalem shall not be exempted. For though God had then by a miracle delivered the chief city, and its siege was raised through the intervention of an angel, when a dreadful slaughter, as sacred history records, took place; yet the city Maroth was not then able to escape vengeance. We now see the reason why this circumstance was added. Some give a harsher explanation, — that the citizens of Maroth were to be debilitated, or, as it were, demented. As this metaphor is too strained, I embrace the other, — that the citizens of Maroth would grieve for the loss of good, ⁷²⁷² Grieving is the idea commonly given to the verb here used. “Dolebit, will grieve,” Grotius, — “Parturit, travails,” Marckius,—”Pineth,” Henderson. Newcome, following the mere conjecture of Houbigant changes the original, and substitutes למות for לטוב, and gives this version, — “is sick unto death.” Not only is this wholly unwarranted, but it destroys the evident contrast there is in the verse — the good and the evil. — Ed. or that they would vainly expect or hope, since they were already doomed to utter ruin, without any hope of deliverance.

But we must notice, that evil was nigh at hand from Jehovah, for he reminds them, that though the whole country would be desolated by the Assyrians, yet God would be the chief leader, since he would employ the work of all those who would afflict the people of Israel. That the Jews then, as well as the Israelites might know, that they had to do, not with men only, but also with God, the celestial Judge, the Prophet distinctly expresses that all this would proceed from Jehovah. He afterwards adds —