Paragraph 1:6–7
The main point of this paragraph is that the LORD will destroy the city of Samaria as a result of the sins of the people of Israel (1:5).
In the previous paragraph (1:2–5), Micah was the speaker. But in this paragraph (1:6–7), the LORD is the one who speaks. You may want to make this explicit in your translation. For example:
So the Lord says, “I will make Samaria a pile of ruins… (Good News Translation)
-or-
So I, the Lord, will make the city of Samaria a heap of ruins… (New Living Translation (2004))
Many modern English versions begin a new paragraph here at 1:6. Most English versions put quotation marks around 1:6–7 to show that someone is speaking.
1:6a
Therefore: This word introduces the result of the people’s sin. In English, another way to introduce this result is to use the word “So” (New Jerusalem Bible). Some versions leave it implied that 1:6a is a result. For example:
I will make Samaria a stone heap in the field. (New American Bible)
Use a natural way in your language to clearly show that this paragraph is the result of the previous verse.
I will make Samaria a heap of rubble in the open field: This line means that the LORD will destroy the city so that nothing is left except a pile of ruins in a rural area.
a heap of rubble in the open field: This phrase refers to rocks and other debris that remain after the buildings and walls of a city are destroyed. The city and the surrounding area will become like open field that can be used for farming, specifically a place where people can plant vineyards (see 1:6b). Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
a ruin in the open country (Revised English Bible)
-or-
a pile of ruins in the open country (Good News Translation)
-or-
a heap of ruins in an open field (NET Bible)
-or-
in ruins—merely an empty field (Contemporary English Version)
1:6b
a planting area for a vineyard: Vineyards are fields where people plant and tend grape vines. Grapes are a kind of fruit from which wine and raisins are made. In languages that do not use a word such as vineyards, translators may use a phrase. For example:
a place where people can plant grape plants/vines
If you have translated terms for grapes or vineyards in other parts of the Bible, you should use the same terms here.
1:6c
I will pour her stones into the valley: The main part of the city of Samaria was built on the upper part of a hill. The walls around the city and many of the buildings in the city were made of stones. The LORD will cause those stones to fall down to the valley that was downhill from the city.
pour: In Hebrew, this verb is the same word that Micah used in 1:4b. There he used in the phrase “like waters rushing down a steep place.” Here in 1:6c, it is used of stones, not water. God will cause the stones to roll or tumble downhill. Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:
I will tumble the rubble of her stone walls down into the valley… (NET Bible)
-or-
I will roll the stones of her walls into the valley below… (New Living Translation (2004))
her stones: In Hebrew, the word for “city” is feminine, so some versions use the word her to refer to the stones that fell. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
its stones (God’s Word)
-or-
the rubble of the city (Good News Translation)
valley: In Hebrew, this is a different word than the one used in 1:4b. The word used here in 1:6c refers in this context to the open area downhill from the city. Here is another way to translate this word:
I will make the city’s stones roll down to the bottom of the hill/mountain.
1:6d
and: This word introduces the next thing that the LORD will do. It is also the result of 1:6c. The LORD will cause the city’s stones to tumble down into the valley. As a result, he will uncover the city’s foundations. For example:
I will roll the stones of her walls into the valley below, exposing her foundations. (1:6c–d, New Living Translation (2004))
expose her foundations: In Hebrew, the word expose means “to strip something so that it is exposed and bare.” When the LORD destroys Samaria and its rocks roll down into the valley, the foundations of the city walls and buildings will be bare. They will have nothing on top of them.
foundations: The foundations are the lowest parts of the city walls and buildings. The walls and buildings are built on top of the foundations. If there is no term for foundations in your language, here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
until the bottom layer of stones has nothing on top of it
-or-
Then people will be able to see even the lowest layer of building stones.
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