{ "language": "en", "title": "Micah", "versionSource": "https://jps.org/books/the-jps-tanakh-gender-sensitive-edition/", "versionTitle": "THE JPS TANAKH: Gender-Sensitive Edition", "status": "locked", "priority": 3.0, "license": "CC-BY-NC", "versionNotes": "Read the Preface to the Revised JPS Edition\n

\nRead the Notes on Gender in Translation for the Revised JPS Edition\n

\nRead a Commentary on the Hebrew word ’ish in the Revised JPS Edition", "shortVersionTitle": "Revised JPS, 2023", "purchaseInformationImage": "https://storage.googleapis.com/sefaria-physical-editions/JPS-Tanakh-Gender-Sensitive-Edition-Cover-300x450.jpg", "purchaseInformationURL": "https://jps.org/books/the-jps-tanakh-gender-sensitive-edition/", "actualLanguage": "en", "languageFamilyName": "english", "isSource": false, "direction": "ltr", "heTitle": "מיכה", "categories": [ "Tanakh", "Prophets" ], "text": [ [ "The word of GOD that came to Micah the Morashtite, who prophesied concerning Samaria and Jerusalem in the reigns of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.", "Listen, all you peoples,
Give heed, O earth, and all it holds;
And let the Sovereign GOD be your accuser—
The Sovereign from the holy abode.", "For lo! GOD
Is coming forth from the heavenlyathe heavenly Lit. “His.” dwelling-place—
To come down and stride
Upon the heights of the earth.", "The mountains shall melt underfoot
And the valleys burst open—
Like wax before fire,
Like water cascading down a slope.", "All this is for the transgression of Jacob,
And for the sins of the House of Israel.
What is the transgression of Jacob
But Samaria,
And what the shrinesbshrines Emendation yields “sins.” of Judah
But Jerusalem?", "So I will turn Samaria
Into a ruin in open country,
Into ground for planting vineyards;
For I will tumble her stones into the valley
And lay her foundations bare.", "All her sculptured images shall be smashed,
And all her prostitute’s wealthcher prostitute’s wealth I.e., the bounty of offerings dedicated to idols. be burned,
And I will make a waste heap of all her idols,
For they were amassed from fees for prostitution,
And they shall become prostitute’s fees again.", "Because of this I will lament and wail;
I will go stripped and naked!
I will lament as sadly as the jackals,
As mournfully as the ostriches.", "For the nation’sdthe nation’s Heb. “her.” wound is incurable,
It has reached Judah,
It has spread to the gate of my people,
To Jerusalem.", "eMeaning of much of vv. 10–13 uncertain. They may refer to the transfer of part of western Judah to Philistine rule by Sennacherib of Assyria in the year 701 BCE. Tell it not in Gath,
Refrain from weeping;fTell it not … weeping So that enemies may not gloat; cf. 2 Sam. 1.20.
In Beth-leaphrah,
Strew dustgdust Heb. ʻaphar, a play on Beth-leaphrah; vv. 10–15 contain several similar puns. over your [head].", "Pass on, inhabitants of Shaphir!
Did not the inhabitants of Zaanan
Have to go forth naked in shame?
There is lamentation in Beth-ezel—
It will withdraw its support from you.", "Though the inhabitants of Maroth
Hoped for good,
Yet disaster from GOD descended
Upon the gate of Jerusalem.", "Hitch the steeds to the chariot,
Inhabitant of Lachish!
It is the beginning
Of Fair Zion’s guilt;
Israel’s transgressions
Can be traced to you!", "Truly, you must give a farewell gift
To Moresheth-gath.
The houses of Achzib arehThe houses of Achzib are Emendation yields “Fair Achzib is.”
To the kings of Israel
Like a spring that fails.", "A dispossessor will I bring to you
Who dwell in Mareshah;
At Adullam the glory
Of Israel shall set.", "Shear off your hair and make yourself baldimake yourself bald A common rite of mourning; cf. Jer. 7.29.
For the children you once delighted in;
Make yourself as bald as a vulture,
For they have been banished from you." ], [ "Ah, those who plan iniquity
And design evil on their beds;
When morning dawns, they do it,
For they have the power.", "They covet fields, and seize them;
Houses, and take them away.
They defraud men of their homes,
And people of their land.
", "Assuredly, thus said GOD: I am planning such a misfortune against this clan that you will not be able to free your necks from it. You will not be able to walk erect; it will be such a time of disaster.", "In that day,
One shall recite a poem about you,
And utter a bitter lament,
And shall say:
“My people’s portion changes hands;
How it slips away from me!
Our field is allotted to a rebel.arebel Emendation yields “ravager.”
We are utterly ravaged.”bMy people’s portion … ravaged Meaning of Heb. uncertain. ", "Truly, none of you
Shall cast a lot cordccast a lot cord On a piece of land, thus acquiring title to it; cf. Josh. 18.6 and Ps. 16.6.
In the assembly of GOD !", "“Stop preaching!” they preach.
“That’s no way to preach;
Shame shall not overtake [us].", "Is the House of Jacob condemned?dShame … condemned Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
Is GOD’s patience short?
Has such been the practice?”
To be sure, My words are friendly
To those who walk in rectitude;", "But an enemy arises againstean enemy arises against Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “you arise as enemies against.” My people.
You strip the mantle with the cloakfwith the cloak Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “off peaceful folk.”
Off such as pass unsuspecting,
Who are turned away from war.gWho are turned away from war Meaning of Heb. uncertain. ", "You drive the women of My people away
From their pleasant homes;
You deprive their infants
Of My glory forever.", "Up and depart!
This is no resting place
Because of [your] defilement.
Terrible destruction shall befall.hBecause of … befall Meaning of Heb. uncertain. ", "If someone were to go about uttering
Windy, baseless falsehoods:
“I’ll preach to you in favor of wine and liquor”—
That would be a preacher [acceptable] to this people.", "iThis verse and the next may offer another example of the “acceptable” preaching mentioned in v. 11. I will assemble Jacob, all of you;
I will bring together the remnant of Israel;
I will make them all like sheep of Bozrah,jof Bozrah Emendation yields “in a fold [Arabic sīrah].”
Like a flock inside its penkpen Meaning of Heb. uncertain. —
They will be noisy with people.", "One who makes a breach
Goes before them;
They enlarge it to a gate
And leave by it.
Their king marches before them,
\nGOD\n at their head." ], [ "I said:
Listen, you rulers of Jacob,
You chiefs of the House of Israel!
For you ought to know what is right,", "aSyntax of this verse and the next uncertain. But you hate good and love evil.", "You have devoured My people’s flesh;
You have flayed the skin off them,
And their flesh off their bones.
And after tearing their skins off them,
And their flesh off their bones,bAnd after tearing their skins off them, / And their flesh off their bones Moved down from v. 2 for clarity.
And breaking their bones to bits,
You have cut it up as intocas into Meaning of Heb. uncertain; Septuagint and Syriac read “like flesh in.” a pot,
Like meat in a cauldron.", "Someday they shall cry out to GOD,
But they will not be answered;
At that time the divine face will be hidden,
In accordance with the wrongs they have done.", "Thus said GOD to the prophets
Who lead My people astray,
Who cry “Peace!”
When they have something to chew,
But launch a war on those
Who fail to fill their mouths:", "Assuredly,
It shall be night for you
So that you cannot prophesy,
And it shall be dark for you
So that you cannot divine;
The sun shall set on the prophets,
And the day shall be darkened for them.", "The seers shall be shamed
And the diviners confounded;
They shall cover their upper lips,dcover their upper lips As a sign of mourning; cf. Ezek. 24.17, 22; Lev. 13.45.
Because no response comes from God.", "But I,
I am filled with strength by the spirit of GOD,
And with judgment and courage,
To declare to Jacob his transgressions
And to Israel his sin.", "Hear this, you rulers of the House of Jacob,
You chiefs of the House of Israel,
Who detest justice
And make crooked all that is straight,", "Who build Zion with crime,
Jerusalem with iniquity!", "Her rulers judge for gifts,
Her priests give rulings for a fee,
And her prophets divine for pay;
Yet they rely upon GOD, saying,
“ GOD is in our midst;
No calamity shall overtake us.”", "Assuredly, because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field,
Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins
And the Temple Mount a shrine in the woods." ], [ "aCf. Isa. 2.2–4. In the days to come,
The Mount of GOD’s House shall stand
Firm above the mountains;
And it shall tower above the hills.
The peoples shall gaze on it with joy,", "And the many nations shall go and shall say:
“Come,
Let us go up to the Mount of GOD,
To the House of the God of Jacob;
That we may be instructed in God’s ways,
And that we may walk in godly paths.”
For instruction shall come forthbinstruction shall come forth I.e., oracles will be obtainable. from Zion,
The word of GOD from Jerusalem.", "Thus [God] will judge among the many peoples,
And arbitrate for the multitude of nations,
However distant;
And they shall beat their swords into plowsharescplowshares More exactly, the iron points with which wooden plows were tipped.
And their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not take up
Sword against nation;
They shall never again knowdknow Cf. Judg. 3.2. war;", "But every family shall sit
Under its own vine and fig tree
With no one to disturb them.
For it was GOD of Hosts who spoke.", "Though all the peoples walk
Each in the names of its gods,
We will walk
In the name of the ETERNAL our God
Forever and ever.", "In that day
—declares GOD —
I will assemble the lame [sheep]
And will gather the outcast
And those I have treated harshly;", "And I will turn the lame into a remnant
And the expelledeexpelled Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “weaklings”; cf. Ezek. 34.4. into a populous nation.
And GOD will reign over them on Mount Zion
Now and for evermore.", "And you, O Migdal-eder,fMigdal-eder Apparently near Bethlehem; see Gen. 35.19–21.
Outpost of Fair Zion,
It shall come to you:gOutpost of Fair Zion, / It shall come to you Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
The former monarchy shall return—
The kingship of Fair Jerusalem.hFair Jerusalem Emendation yields “the House of Israel”; cf. 5.1–2. ", "Now why do you utter such cries?
Is there no king in you,
Have your advisors perished,
That you have been seized by writhing
Like a woman in travail?", "Writhe and scream,iscream Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Fair Zion,
Like a woman in travail!
For now you must leave the city
And dwell in the country—
And you will reach Babylon.
There you shall be saved,
There GOD will redeem you
From the hands of your foes.", "Indeed, many nations
Have assembled against you
Who think, “Let our eye
Obscenely gazejObscenely gaze Meaning of Heb. uncertain. on Zion.”", "But they do not know
GOD’s design,
They do not divine the intent:
They have been gathered
Like cut grain to the threshing floor.", "Up and thresh, Fair Zion!
For I will give you horns of iron
And provide you with hoofs of bronze,
And you will crush the many peoples.
YoukYou Heb. -ti serves here as the ending of the second-person singular feminine; cf. Judg. 5.7 and note; Jer. 2.20; etc. will devote their riches to GOD,
Their wealth to the Sovereign of all the earth.", "Now you gash yourself in grief.lin grief Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
They have laid siege to us;
They strike the ruler of Israel
On the cheek with a staff." ], [ "And you, O Bethlehem of Ephrath,aEphrath The clan to which the Bethlehemites belonged; see 1 Sam. 17.12; Ruth 1.2; 4.11.
Least among the clans of Judah,
From you one shall come forth
To rule Israel for Me—
One whose origin is from of old,
From ancient times.", "bMeaning of verse uncertain. Truly, [God] will leave them [helpless]
Until she who is to bear has borne;chas borne I.e., has given birth to a ruler, shepherd (v. 3), to deliver Israel from the Assyrians (vv. 4–5).
Then the rest of his kindred
Shall return to the children of Israel.", "He shall stand and shepherd
By the might of GOD,
By the power of the name
Of the ETERNAL his God,
And they shall dwell [secure].
For lo, he shall wax great
To the ends of the earth;", "And that shall afford safety.
Should Assyria invade our land
And tread upon our fortresses,dfortresses Septuagint and Syriac read “soil”; cf. v. 5.
We will set up over that nationethat nation Heb. “it.” seven shepherds,
Eight princes of other nations,fother nations Lit. “human beings.” ", "Who will shepherd Assyria’s land with swords,
The land of Nimrod in its gates.gin its gates Emendation yields “with drawn blades”; cf. Ps. 37.14; 55.22.
Thus he will deliver [us]
From Assyria, should it invade our land,
And should it trample our country.", "The remnant of Jacob shall be,
In the midst of the many peoples,
Like dew from GOD,
Like droplets on grass—
Which do not look to anybody
Nor place their hope in mortals.", "The remnant of Jacob
Shall be among the nations,
In the midst of the many peoples,
Like a lion among beasts of the wild,
Like a fierce lion among flocks of sheep,
Which tramples wherever it goes
And rends, with none to deliver.", "Your hand shall prevail over your foes,
And all your enemies shall be cut down!", "In that day
—declares GOD —
I will destroy the horses in your midst
And wreck your chariots.", "I will destroy the cities of your land
And demolish all your fortresses.", "I will destroy the sorcery you practice,
And you shall have no more soothsayers.", "I will destroy your idols
And the sacred pillars in your midst;
And no more shall you bow down
To the work of your hands.", "I will tear down the sacred postshsacred posts Used in worship of the goddess Asherah. in your midst
And destroy your cities.icities Emendation yields “idols.” ", "In anger and wrath
Will I wreak retribution
On the nationsjnations Emendation yields “arrogant.” that have not obeyed." ], [ "Hear what GOD is saying:
Come, present [My] case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear you pleading.", "Hear, you mountains, GOD’s case—
You firmaYou firm Emendation yields “Give ear, you.” foundations of the earth!
For GOD has a case against this covenanted people—
A suit against Israel.", "“My people!
What wrong have I done you?
What hardship have I caused you?
Testify against Me.", "In fact,
I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the house of bondage,
And I sent before you
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.", "“My people,
Remember what Balak king of Moab
Plotted against you,
And how Balaam son of Beor
Responded to him.
[Recall your passage]
From Shittim to GilgalbFrom Shittim to Gilgal I.e., the crossing of the Jordan; see Josh. 3.1, 14–4.19. —
And you will recognize
GOD’s gracious acts.”", "With what shall I approach GOD,
Do homage to God on high?
Shall I approach with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?", "Would GOD be pleased with thousands of rams,
With myriads of streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for my sins?", "“You have been told, O mortal, what is good,
And what GOD requires of you:
Only to do justice
And to love goodness,
And to walk modestly with your God;cto walk modestly with your God Or “it is prudent to serve your God.” ", "Then will your name achieve wisdom.”dThen will your name achieve wisdom Emendation yields “And it is worthwhile to revere God’s name.”
Hark! GOD
Summons the city:ethe city Apparently the capital of either the northern or southern kingdom.
Hear, O scepter;
For who can direct her ", "but you?fHear … but you? Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
Will I overlook,goverlook Taking ʼish as from nashah “to forget”; cf. Deut. 32.18. in houses of the wicked,
The granaries of wickedness
And the accursed short ephah ?hshort ephah Cf. Amos 8.4–5. ", "Shall theyithey Heb. “I”; change of vocalization yields “Will I acquit them.” be acquitted despite wicked balances
And a bag of fraudulent weights?—", "jThis verse would read well after “city” in v. 9. Whose wealthy are full of lawlessness,
And whose inhabitants speak treachery,
With tongues of deceit in their mouths.", "I, in turn, have beaten you sore,
Have stunned [you] for your sins:", "You have been eating without getting your fill,
And there is a gnawing at your vitals;
You have been conceiving without bearing young,kAnd there is a gnawing … bearing young Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
And what you bore I would deliver to the sword.", "You have been sowing, but have nothing to reap;
You have trod olives, but have no oil for rubbing,
And grapeslgrapes Lit. “new wine.” but have no wine to drink.", "Yet you have keptmyou have kept Heb. “is kept.” the laws of Omri,
And all the practices of the House of Ahab,
And have followed what they devised.
Therefore I will make you an object of horror
And the city’snthe city’s Heb. “her”; cf. v. 9. inhabitants an object of hissing;ohissing See note at Jer. 18.16.
And you shall bear the mockery of peoples.ppeoples Heb. “My people.” " ], [ "Woe is me!ame The speaker is feminine (cf. ʼElohayikh, v. 10), probably Samaria personified; cf. note at 6.16.
I am become like leavings of a fig harvest,
Like gleanings when the vintage is over,
There is not a cluster to eat,
Not a ripe fig I could desire.", "The pious are vanished from the land,
None upright are left among its people;
All lie in wait to commit crimes,
Every last one traps the other in a net.", "bMeaning of verse uncertain. They are eager to do evil:
The magistrate makes demands,
And the judge [judges] for a fee;
The rich one makes a crooked plea,
And they grant it.", "The best of them is like a prickly shrub;
The [most] upright, worse than a barrier of thorns.
On the day you waited for,cOn the day you waited for Meaning of Heb. uncertain. your doom has come—
Now their confusion shall come to pass.", "Trust no friend,
Rely on no intimate;
Be guarded in speech
With her who lies in your bosom.", "For son spurns father,
Daughter rises up against mother,
Daughter-in-law against mother-in-law—
A man’s own household
Are his enemies.", "Yet I will look to GOD,
I will wait for the God who saves me,
My God will hear me.", "Do not rejoice over me,
O my enemy!denemy Heb. feminine, apparently referring to Damascus.
Though I have fallen, I rise again;
Though I sit in darkness, GOD is my light.", "I must bear GOD’s anger—
Against whom I have sinned,
Until my cause is championed
And my claim upheld.
I will be brought out into the light;
I will enjoy divine vindication.", "When my enemyeenemy See note at v. 8. sees it,
She shall be covered with shame,
She who taunts me with “Where is this God of yours,
the ETERNAL One ?”
My eyes shall behold her [downfall];
Lo, she shall be for trampling
Like mud in the streets.", "A day for mending your wallsfwalls To keep out tramplers (end of preceding verse); cf. Isa. 5.5; Ps. 80.13–14. —
That is a far-off day.", "This is rather a day when to you
[Tramplers] will come streaming
From Assyria and the towns of Egypt—
From [every land from] Egypt to the Euphrates,
From sea to sea and from mountain to mountain—", "And yourgyour Heb. “the.” land shall become a desolation—
Because of those who dwell in it—
As the fruit of their misdeeds.", "Oh, shepherd Your people with Your staff,
Your very own flock.
May they who dwell isolated
In a woodland surrounded by farmlandhIn a woodland surrounded by farmland I.e., the land west of the Jordan, which is represented as far less fertile than adjacent regions.
GrazeiGraze Emendation yields “possess.” Bashan and Gilead
As in olden days.", "I will show himjI will show him Emendation yields “Show us.” wondrous deeds
As in the days when You sallied forth from the land of Egypt.", "Let nations behold and be ashamed
Despite all their might;
Let them put hand to mouth;
Let their ears be deafened!", "Let them lick dust like snakes,
Like crawling things on the ground!
Let them come trembling out of their strongholdskLet them come trembling out of their strongholds Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
To the ETERNAL our God;
Let them fear and dread You!", "Who is a God like You,
Forgiving iniquity
And remitting transgression—
Not staying angry forever
Toward the remnant of Your own people,
Because YoulYour…You Heb. 3rd person. love graciousness!", "[God] will take us back in love,
QuashingmQuashing Or, perhaps, “Forgiving,” as in Akkadian kabasu. our iniquities.
You will hurl all ournour Heb. “their.” sins
Into the depths of the sea.", "You will keep faith with Jacob,
Loyalty to Abraham,
As You promised on oath to our fathers
In days gone by." ] ], "sectionNames": [ "Chapter", "Verse" ] }