About this book
God told Micah to speak to Israel's people (the Jewish people). Micah was a prophet because he spoke messages from God. He lived a long time before Jesus lived on this earth. He spoke God's messages between about 740 BC (Before Christ's birth) and 686 BC. The prophet Isaiah also spoke messages from God to Israel's people at that same time. When Micah was alive, the country of Israel was two separate parts. The name of the north part was Israel and the name of the south part was Judah. A king ruled each part. Micah's home was in Moresheth, which was a small town in the part called Judah. It was about 5 hours' walk (about 32 kilometres) south and west from Jerusalem, Judah's capital city.
In this book, Micah tells Israel's people that God is angry with them. God is angry because they have refused to obey him. So, he will cause enemies to attack them. But Micah also speaks about what God has promised. God has promised to save his people in the end.
In most of this book, Micah speaks God's words to the people. But sometimes he speaks to God on behalf of the people, and sometimes he speaks for himself.
1
1 These are the messages that the Lord gave to Micah. Then Micah told them to the people during the times that Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah ruled the country called Judah. Micah was born in a small town called Moresheth. God showed Micah about what would happen to the cities called Samaria and Jerusalem.Verse 1 Israel's capital city was Samaria, and Judah's capital city was Jerusalem. God will destroy Samaria city
2 Listen, all of you people everywhere! Hear this, everyone who lives on the earth! The Lord who is ruler of everyone will speak against you. You have done what is wrong. That is why he will speak against you. He will speak from his special house.
3 Look! The Lord is leaving his place and he is coming down to the earth. He will come to the high places (where you worship false gods). He will destroy those places when he comes.
4 The mountains will melt when he comes, like wax melts near a fire. The valleys will break too. They will move like water when it rushes down a hill.Verse 4 To melt means to become soft and like water.Wax is something that people use to mend things. They use wax also to make candles, which they burn to give light. Insects called bees make wax.
5 All these bad things will happen because Jacob's people have refused to obey God. These things will happen because Israel's people have done wrong things. You may ask who has caused this. It is the leaders in your capital cities, Samaria city and Jerusalem city. They have kept the high places there for people to offer gifts to false gods.
6 So God says to you: 'I will destroy Samaria so that just a few stones are lying in the fields there. Then people will plant vines in that place. I will throw the stones from the city down into the valley, when I completely destroy all the buildings.
7 I will break all the false gods into pieces and I will destroy them. I will burn all the gifts that the people brought for those false gods. The people have paid so that they could have sex with bad women in those places. Your enemies will come and they will take away this money. They will give it to their gods in the same way.'Verses 1-7 We think that Micah spoke these words at some time before 722 BC. In that year, enemies from the country called Assyria destroyed Samaria exactly as Micah had told the people earlier.Verse 6 Vines or grapevines are plants that climb. They have small, sweet fruits called grapes. Micah is sad for the people in Israel and Judah
8 Because of what God has said, I will cry aloud. And I will weep. I will walk about without shoes or clothes. I will scream like a wild dog, and I will cry like a bird in the night.
9 Because Samaria has such bad wounds that it can never get well. And the same will happen also to Judah's people. The enemies have already reached the gates of my people, that is, Jerusalem itself.Verse 9 Wounds are places on someone's body where someone or something has hurt them.
10 Do not talk about this in the city called Gath. Do not even weep there. But you people at Beth Leaphrah, roll on the ground to show how sad you are.
11 You people who live in Shaphir, go on your way. Your enemies will not let you wear any clothes while they take you away. So you will be ashamed. The people who live in Zaanan will be afraid to leave their city. The people at Bethezel will cry because nobody comes to help them.
12 The people at Maroth are in pain while they wait. They were waiting and hoping for something good. But the Lord sent only something bad. He brought trouble even to the gates of Jerusalem.
13 You people who live in Lachish, get your war-carts and horses ready to go! You were the first people in Judah to do what is wrong. You are exactly like Israel's people, because, like them, you refused to obey God.
14 You will need to give gifts to the people in Moresheth Gath, because they must go away. The houses in Achzib town will disappoint the kings of Israel.
15 People in Mareshah, I (God) will bring an army against you, to fight your town. And it will win. And Israel's leaders will need to hide at Adullam.
16 People in Judah, cut off all your hair. Make yourselves bald like vultures, because you will be very sad. Your enemies will take your children away. They will take your children, whom you love so much, away to another country!Verses 10-15 In these verses, Micah says the names of towns and villages near his home, Moresheth Gath. Enemies from another country will come and fight against them. These verses may tell how Assyria's people attacked Judah's people in the year 701 BC.Verse 14 The kings of Israel will get no help from Achzib town, because enemies will destroy the town.Verse 16 In those days, people often cut off all their hair to show that they were very sad. Vultures are large birds with bald heads.
2
God says that bad things will happen to the bad people
1 Micah continues: People who prepare to do bad things should be afraid. God will do bad things to them! While they lie in bed, they think about bad things to do. Then, when the morning comes, they do those bad things. They have the authority to do whatever they want to do.
2 When they want fields, they take them from other people. When they want houses, they take them. These cruel people take other people's homes and fields; then those people's families have nothing.
3 So the Lord says this to them: 'I am against you. You cannot save yourselves. I will prepare trouble for you. Then you will stop thinking that you are so very clever and important. It will be a time of much trouble for you.
4 At that time, people will say that you are fools. They will sing this sad song on your behalf: God has completely destroyed us! We no longer have any fields, because God has taken them away from us. He has given them to our enemies, who have turned away from what is right.
5 So, when the Lord's people measure the land again to give fields to everyone, you will get none. You will have nobody to speak on your behalf.'Verse 5 At certain times, the people measured their fields again. They used stones with marks on them to decide about the fields. Micah says that God is against the bad people. So, God will never let them get any fields again in future times.
6 The bad people say to Micah: 'Do not prophesy like this to us! Do not say that we will have trouble. God will not make us ashamed!'Verse 6 To prophesy means to speak (God's) messages, often about future events.
7 Micah replies: It is wrong for you to say that the Lord's Spirit is not angry with Jacob's people. God does not do bad things. My (God's) words do good things. He is kind to people who do the right things.
8 'Even in days that have only just passed, you have become enemies among my people', God says. 'You rob people of their coats when they pass by. Even men who thought that they were safe now. You even rob men who are returning home from war.
9 You rob the women among my people too. You take away their happy homes. So, you take away what I want their children to enjoy.
10 Get up and go away! You cannot remain in this place because you have made it bad. It is so bad that it will completely destroy you.
11 When a person speaks false messages to you, then you believe them. They might say that you would have plenty of wine and strong drink. That is the message that you would like!'Verse 11 Micah spoke true messages from God. But other people were speaking false messages. They spoke words that made the bad people happy. In this verse, God is saying that the bad people should listen to Micah. God promises to bring his people back together
12 'You people of Israel, I promise to bring all of you together. I will bring back together all Israel's people who remain. I will put all of you together like sheep in a field with a wall round it. You will be like a field full of sheep. There will be a loud noise because there will be so many of you.
13 The person who breaks open the way will go in front of you. Then you will go out through the gate. I am the Lord, your king, and I will lead you out.'In verses 1-11, God says that he will kill the bad people in Israel. He will bring enemies to fight them.In verses 12-13, God promises to bring the poor and good people to a safe place. This may mean Jerusalem. Then, when their enemies have gone away, he will lead them out of that place. They will return to their homes.
3
Micah speaks against the bad leaders of Israel
1 Then I spoke to the leaders: Listen to me, I said. You are the leaders of Jacob's people, you are the rulers of Israel. You ought to know what is right or wrong.
2 But you hate what is good. And you love what is bad. You would like to tear the skin off my people, and pull the meat from their bones.
3 You look at my people and you are like butchers. They strip the skin off an animal and they break its bones. Then they cut the meat into pieces and they cook it in a pot. They are happy when they eat the meat.
4 One day you will shout to the Lord for help, but he will not answer you. Instead, God will turn away from you at that time, because you have done those bad things.
5 The Lord has spoken about you prophets who tell false messages. You lead my people the wrong way with false promises. If people give food to you, then you are happy. So, you promise that there will be no war. But, if people do not feed you, then you are angry. You promise that war will come.
6 God says to you: 'It will be like night for you because it will be dark. You will not see anything. &nnbsp; You will no longer be able to see what will happen in future times. The sun will go down over you prophets, and the day will become dark for you.
7 You saw what would happen in future times. That is what you said. But you will be ashamed. And you try to tell what will happen in future times. But I will confuse you. All of you will hide your faces because I will not answer you.'
8 'But the Spirit of the Lord fills me, to make me powerful', I told them. He helps me to know what is right and fair. He makes me brave so that I can speak to you, Jacob's people. I can tell you what you have done wrong. You are Israel's people, but you have not obeyed God.In verses 1-7, Micah speaks on God's behalf, but in verse 8, he speaks for himself.
9 So listen to this, you leaders of Jacob's people. You are Israel's rulers. But you never do what is right and fair. You take what is good. And you make it seem bad.
10 You rule Zion city, which is Jerusalem. But you are cruel, and you kill honest people.Verse 10 The rulers did bad things. They were ready to kill anyone who tried to stop them. They did whatever they wanted to do. Also, the rulers made the people work very much. Many people may have died because they worked so much.
11 You are the city's rulers, but you accept money from people. Then you decide what is right or wrong. You listen to the people who give the money to you. Then they tell you what to decide. You priests teach only if the people pay you to teach. You prophets speak about what will happen in future times. But you only speak if you receive money. But all of you, the leaders, still say that you believe the Lord. 'The Lord is with us, so nothing bad will happen to us', you say.
12 So God says: 'Because of you, I will make Zion like a field that people have ploughed. I will destroy Jerusalem so that only stones are lying there. Weeds and bushes will grow all over the hill where they built my house.'Verse 11 A priest was a man that God chose. God chose him to be his special servant and to teach the people.
4
God's mountain
1 In the last days, the mountain where the Lord's house is will be the highest mountain. It will be the most important of all the mountains. It will be higher than the hills, and people from many countries will go to it.
2 Many people will speak about it. 'Come! We will go up to the Lord's mountain', they will say. 'We will go to the Lord's house because he is the God of Jacob's people. He will teach us what he wants us to do. He will show us the right way; so then we will be able to obey him. The Lord will speak his rules from Zion. He will send out his message from Jerusalem.'
3 He will decide what is right or wrong between many countries. He will cause strong countries everywhere to stop fighting each other. They fight with swords and spears. But then, they will use hammers to make their swords into ploughs. They will make their spears into tools to cut plants. One country will not fight another country any longer. They will never prepare for war again.
4 Everyone will sit under his own vine and his own fig tree. Nobody will make them afraid any longer. The Lord, who has all authority, has promised this.
5 People from other countries may be the servants of other gods. But we will be servants of the Lord our God. We will obey him always.Verse 3 A spear is a long piece of wood or metal with a sharp point at the end. Soldiers used spears to fight.Verse 4 Micah says that everyone in the world will feel safe and happy at this future time. There will be no more wars, and they will have plenty of food.Vines or grapevines are plants that climb. They have small, sweet fruits called grapes. Figs are sweet fruits. God will make Israel and Jerusalem strong again
6 The Lord speaks again: 'At that time I will bring together the people who cannot walk well. I will bring back the people that I sent away. I caused trouble for those people, but I will bring them back together.
7 I will make a new beginning with those people who cannot walk well. Together with some of those people that I sent far away, I will make them my own special people. They will be strong, and I will rule over them from Zion's mountain. I will be their king from that time and always.
8 And as for Jerusalem city, it was a strong, safe place for Zion's people. It was like a tall building, from which a man can watch over his sheep. Then it will again be a place where a king rules with great authority.'
9 You people in Jerusalem, you are crying aloud like people who have no king. You cry like people who have nobody to advise them. You have bad pains like a woman who is giving birth to a baby.Verse 9 To advise someone means to tell them what they should do. This verse says that the king in Jerusalem had failed to rule the people well. He had not asked God to show him what to do. So, the people were very sad and afraid.
10 People in Zion, you will have a lot of pain, like a woman who is giving birth to a baby. She rolls about and she screams with pain. Soon you will have to leave your city and you will have to live in the fields. You will have to go to Babylon, but there the Lord will save you. He will make you free again from the authority of your enemies.
11 But now, at this time, many countries have come together to attack your city. They say: 'We will destroy Jerusalem and we will enjoy ourselves.