Although most of the book of Micah has been translated as prose in Good News Translation, verses 2-4 have been translated as poetry. The translators probably felt the picture of the Lord speaking from heaven and walking on the mountains would sound better in English as poetry than as a rather complicated prose comparison. In many languages the translators will prefer to translate verses as prose, just like the rest of the book.
When changing from Hebrew poetry to prose, it is important to be aware of parallel lines and ideas. One important feature of Hebrew poetry is that two lines are often parallel to each other. This means that almost the same thing may be said in both lines by using different words with similar meanings. Or it may be that the second line will repeat most of the meaning of the first line, but add another idea as well. Many languages use types of expression like this, even in prose, but the translator should know what he is doing and not say something twice simply because it is said twice in Hebrew. Often it will be better to say it only once. This may mean leaving one of the lines out completely if does not add anything to the meaning of the other line. Or it may mean combining the ideas from both lines into a single line in the translation.
Verse 2 opens with two clauses that are parallel in meaning. In the first the prophet calls all … nations to Hear (compare 3.1; 6.1), and in the second he literally calls the “earth, and all that is in it” (Revised Standard Version) to listen. Good News Translation all who live on earth makes it clear that this is primarily a reference to the people who are the inhabitants of the earth, though it is not necessarily limited to people. Jerusalem Bible takes a wider meaning with “earth, and everything in it.”
If the second line of verse 2 is understood as referring to all people who live on earth, then it does not add anything to the meaning of the first line, and the two lines together mean listen to this, all who live on earth. If the second line is understood as referring to everything on earth, not only the people, then the meaning of the two lines together may be translated as “Listen to this, you people of every country, and everything else on the earth.”
This and to this after Hear and listen in Good News Translation seem to refer to what the prophet is saying. He is asking the people to listen to him as he tells that the Lord is going to speak. In other versions the meaning seems to be that the people should listen to the Lord as he speaks, and this sense may be the better one to follow. One may say something like “You people of every country, listen to the Lord as he testifies against you.” Translators should note, however, that the Lord’s own words do not begin until verse 6. This may make a difference in the way the sentence is worded.
The prophet of course does not expect that everyone on earth can really hear him speaking, but this type of exaggeration is common in poetry. If the Lord speaks, on the other hand, we can assume that everyone can hear him. So if necessary the verse may be rearranged to say that the Lord will speak to everyone, and they all must listen to him.
The people are to listen because The Sovereign LORD will testify or give evidence as a witness against them. For the translation of Sovereign LORD, see the comments on Obadiah verse 1a.
Will testify against you uses the picture of God being a witness against the people of the world in a court of law. If there is no special term for being a witness in a court, the meaning is “to speak about the bad things you have done.” This picture of God as witness must not be taken too literally, since God himself is of course the judge. If this will be a serious problem in some languages, the picture may be dropped, and the plain meaning may be given that God will speak about their bad deeds.
Listen! is repeated in Good News Translation in the last line of verse 2 for the poetic effect. The word does not appear at this point in the Hebrew.
He speaks from his heavenly temple: the last line of verse 2 says literally “the Lord from his holy temple” (Revised Standard Version). Jerusalem Bible connects this to the idea of verse 3, that the Lord is coming, and translates “the Lord, as he sets out from his sacred palace.” Most translations, however, understand this as referring to the place where the Lord is when he is testifying against the people. In many languages it will be necessary to put this line before the third line and say “the Lord is in his temple and speaks as a witness against you.”
His heavenly temple: the Hebrew refers to “his holy temple” here (Revised Standard Version), but the meaning is heaven, not the temple in Jerusalem, and it will probably be necessary to make this clear in the translation, as Good News Translation has done. “Holy” in this context does not really add much to the meaning, as it simply means something that especially belongs to God. If there is no good word for “holy” that fits this passage, the meaning is really covered by saying it is God’s temple.
Temple can be translated as “the Lord’s house” or “the Lord’s big house.” If “heaven” is a problem, an expression like “up above” may be helpful. The Old Testament writers sometimes refer to God having a temple in heaven (Psa 11.4; 18.6; Jonah 2.7; Hab 2.20), and even if this is really just a picture for something spiritual (see 1 Kgs 8.27), it is probably best to translate it literally. However, if a temple in heaven is a serious problem for some reason, it would be enough just to say “heaven” here.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .