1
The word of Jehovah that was to▵ Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah▵, kings of Judah, in which he had··a··vision concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2
Let the peoples hear, all of them; attend, O earth, and all the fullness thereof; and let the Lord Jehovih* be witness against you, the Lord from the temple of His holiness.
3
For, behold, Jehovah comes··out from His place, and will come··down, and tread upon the high··places of the earth.
4
And the mountains shall be melted beneath Him, and the valleys shall be split, as wax before the fire, and as waters flowing··down in going··down.
5
All this is on account of* the transgression of Jacob, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what are the high··places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem?
6
And I will set Samaria as a heap▵ of the field, as plantings of a vineyard; and I will make her stones flow··down to the ravine, and I will reveal her foundations.
7
And all her graven images shall be beaten··in··pieces, and all her meretricious* hires◦ shall be burned··up with the fire, and all her idols◦ will I set desolate; for she brought· it ·together from the hire◦ of a harlot, and they shall return, even··to the hire◦ of a harlot.
8
Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing as the dragons, and mourning as the daughters of the owl.
9
For her wound▵ is desperate; for it has come even··to Judah; it has reached even··to the gate of My people, even··to Jerusalem.
10
In Gath you shall not tell it, weeping you shall not weep in the house of Aphrah*; roll··thyself··around in the dust.
11
Pass··by for yourselves; she who dwells in Saphir* is with the nakedness of shame; she who dwells in Zaanan came· not ·out in the wailing of Bethezel; he shall take from you his standing.
12
For she who dwells in Maroth travailed for good; but◦ evil came··down from Jehovah unto the gate of Jerusalem.
13
O thou, she who dwells in Lachish, bind the chariot to the racer; she◦ is the beginning◦ of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel were··found in thee.
14
Therefore shalt thou give presents* to Moreshethgath; the houses of Achzib* shall be for a lie◦ to the kings of Israel.
15
Yet will I bring an heir◦ to thee, O thou who dwellest in Mareshah; even··to Adullam the glory of Israel shall come.
16
Make· thyself ·bald, and shear thyself on··account··of thy delightful◦ sons; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they have gone··into··exile from thee.