This verse has certain textual difficulties in the Hebrew. Some scholars feel it is incomplete as it stands (see Jerusalem Bible). But even if this is true, the general sense is fairly clear. Revised Standard Version understands this verse in essentially the same way as Good News Translation. The people are all experts at doing evil. Evil actions are the kind that they like to do, and that they do well. Those in the positions of authority, the officials and judges, do not do their work normally but ask for bribes. (Compare 3.9-11. Translation of “bribes” is discussed in 3.11.)

Justice is ignored, because the influential man tells those in authority what he wants, and so they scheme together to get it done. The phrase scheme together is literally “weave … together” (Revised Standard Version), and some translators may be able to retain this figurative use of “weave.” The influential man means “the important man” or “the man with power.” He would usually be a rich man, and in some languages it may be necessary to translate this way.

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 .

This verse concludes the first unit by announcing the punishment coming to the nation’s leaders because of their cruel and selfish behavior. It may be helpful to identify the you here as “you rulers,” to make it clear that the same people are being addressed as in verse 1. Their punishment is that they will cut themselves off from God by their sins. The rulers will cry out to the LORD in prayer for him to help, but he will not answer you.

“Then” (Revised Standard Version) refers to the time when God will punish these leaders. Good News Translation translates this as The time is coming, which implies that this will happen soon. Many translators may prefer to use an expression meaning “soon.”

Micah refers to the leaders in the third person in this verse, as can be seen in Revised Standard Version and most other translations. But this sounds to many readers as though the verse is continuing to talk about the leaders’ victims rather than about the leaders themselves. So Good News Translation has made the meaning clear by using you instead of “them.” Another way of solving this problem is to make clear who is being talked about here; for example, “Soon these leaders will cry out….”

Something will happen (Micah does not say exactly what) that will force these unjust leaders to cry out to the LORD for help. It may be necessary in some languages to make clear why they are crying out. Also, if there is no good expression for cry out, an expression like “praying strongly” may be easier.

He will not listen to your prayers: the third clause in the verse says essentially the same thing again, but in Hebrew it does so by means of a figure of speech that pictures God with human features. This is retained in the literal rendering of Revised Standard Version, “he will hide his face from them,” and this may be natural and vivid in many receptor languages.

Other languages may have equivalent figures of speech such as “he will turn his back on you.” Some translators may prefer to follow the example of Good News Translation in dropping the figure of speech and expressing its meaning in plain language, He will not listen to your prayers. The reason for this punishment and rejection by God is restated in summary form at the end of the verse, for you have done evil. Or, because these are people in authority, “for you have misused your power.”

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 .

In verse 12 we meet the first direct mention of false religion. The Lord promises to destroy the magic charms you use, and leave you without any fortunetellers. The practice of magic and fortunetelling was condemned clearly in the Law (Lev 19.26; Deut 18.9-14) but was nevertheless carried on in Israel, as is indicated in 1 Sam 28; 2 Kgs 21.6. The aim of magic is to get power over other people or things, and the aim of fortunetelling is to obtain information about the future. The terms used here are general ones, and as such activities are still widespread, many translators will easily find suitable terms in their own languages. Magic charms refers to various kinds of things that a person might wear or might use in some other way. They were things believed to have some sort of magic power. If there is no word for fortunetellers, these are “people who tell others what is going to happen to them in the future.”

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 .

The people here address the Lord in his role as their shepherd. This is an important Old Testament picture of the Lord’s relationship to his people, best known in Psalm 23. Here the shepherd is asked to fulfill his task of taking care of the people who are called “the flock of thy inheritance” (Revised Standard Version). The means of doing this is “with thy staff,” that is, with the usual equipment of a shepherd. (Contrast the expression “shepherd Assyria with the sword” in 5.6, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible.) Good News Translation does not mention the staff as the instrument the shepherd uses, but it conveys the idea of protection by using a noun rather than a verb and saying Be a shepherd to your people. In areas where sheep are not kept, it will probably be good for translators to follow this example. But it may be necessary to change the figure of speech from a metaphor to a simile and say “Be like a shepherd to your people” or “Look after your people as a shepherd looks after his sheep.” Another possibility is to mention the staff or crook and state its purpose, as Jerusalem Bible does: “With shepherd’s crook lead your people to pasture.” A shepherd is simply a man who takes care of a flock of sheep, or who looks after them. His “staff” is a long, straight pole, which he used mainly as a walking stick and as a support while he was standing watching the flock. This verse suggests that he may also have used it to guide the sheep or to protect them.

Revised Standard Version “flock of thy inheritance” is a literal translation that continues the metaphor. “Thy inheritance” here means “belonging to you in a special way.” Good News Translation drops the figure in this phrase and states the plain meaning with the people you have chosen. If a simile has been used in the opening clause, it can well be continued here by saying “we are like a flock that you own” or “your very own flock.” Even if a translator decides not to use the figure, it may be helpful in some languages to say “the people you have chosen to be your own.” In any case, translators should be careful not to use a word meaning “inheritance” if this will suggest that someone has to die before the heir can take possession.

The middle part of the verse is less clear in meaning. For Revised Standard Version‘s “forest” and “garden land” Good News Translation has wilderness and fertile land. The basic contrast is between cultivated and uncultivated land, and in the majority of languages there will be little difficulty in expressing this distinction. The sentence seems to describe the Lord’s people as dwelling only in the rather barren uplands of Judah. It is therefore an implied request for the extension of their territory, as mentioned in verse 11, to include the better land in surrounding areas such as the coastal plain, the plain of Jezreel, and the Jordan valley.

The word apart or “alone” (Revised Standard Version) is probably used to stress that they are not living in a good situation. Not only is their ground poor, but they are cut off from other peoples and cannot get goods or help from them. Some commentators see this as a reference to the people of Israel being set apart as a special people of God, but that is probably not the main meaning here.

The third sentence continues the metaphor of the first with its plea Let them go and feed. The reference to Bashan and Gilead supports the view that the people are asking to extend their territory. As Good News Translation makes explicit, these were areas of rich pastures. They were located on the east of the River Jordan and were among the first areas to come into the possession of the Israelites at the conquest. They had been lost to invaders in the eighth century. The prayer for their restoration in effect suggests a picture of a future that will be as glorious as the past, when the united monarchy was at the height of its power under King Solomon.

The translation of Good News Translation is rather surprising here, since it continues with the metaphor of the people as a flock of sheep who are going to feed, after having dropped this metaphor earlier and not actually having called the people a “flock.” It will probably be better for translators to be consistent. Either the picture should be kept throughout the verse, or else it should be dropped here at the end as well as in the reference to the people. If it is dropped, it is enough to say “Let them go and live in the rich land of Bashan and Gilead.” Rich in reference to pastures or fields means that the land is very fertile. Pastures are large fields with good grass for the sheep to eat.

Though the individual clauses of this verse make sense in themselves, it is not easy to see what the relationships are between them. Good News Translation tries to make these clearer by its use of Although. The sequence of thought is a follows: at this time the Lord’s people occupy only a small territory, but there is better land in neighboring areas; therefore they ask the Lord to allow them to expand and use it again, as they did long ago.

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 .

The opening words of verse 10, Don’t tell our enemies in Gath, are an allusion to David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 1.17-27), who were killed in battle against the Philistines. Gath is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament, perhaps because it was the Philistine city nearest to the territory of Judah. Its name is similar in sound to the Hebrew word for “tell,” which is used in this sentence.

The prophet here is speaking to the other people of Judah. It may be helpful in some languages to put in at this point the actual words “People of Judah” to show this, as Good News Translation has done in verses 14 and 16. What the prophet says to these people is that they should not tell the people of Gath what is happening to them, because the people of Gath are enemies of the people of Judah. Whether the people of Gath would simply enjoy hearing about the bad things that are happening to Judah, or whether they might try to take advantage of them to cause even more trouble, we do not know. Good News Translation has added our enemies to help to bring out part of this meaning. Since the prophet is speaking to his own people, this our would have to be the inclusive “our” used to mean “yours and mine,” if a language has more than one word for “our.” The people of Gath are the enemies, so in some languages it may be better to say “our enemies, the people of Gath.”

In many languages it will be necessary to say what you are not to tell the people of Gath about, even though it is not explicitly mentioned in the Hebrew. What is referred to is all of the bad things that are happening to Judah as the attacking army gets nearer to Jerusalem. Good News Translation has said about our defeat, but since Jerusalem itself has not yet been taken, this could be misleading. It may be better to say “about what is happening to us,” or “that we are having such a terrible time,” or “that God is punishing us.”

Don’t let them see you weeping does not mean “weep in private, not in public” but rather “weep not at all,” as in Revised Standard Version. If we connect this idea with the first line, then the meaning must be that the people of Judah should not weep at all, because if they do the Philistines will find out what has happened to them. It may be better to say that the Philistines will find out by hearing them weep rather than by seeing, especially since the next line says it is all right to roll in the dust. One way to translate this line may be “do not weep at all, or they may hear you.” Weeping can be the term for crying for the dead or for some terrible thing that has happened, if a language has such a word.

The location of Beth Leaphrah is not known. The Hebrew word for “dust” is ʿaphar, which sounds like the last part of Leaphrah.

People of Beth Leaphrah is a term of address, to show these people that they are the ones the prophet is talking to. In some languages there will be a special word or some other way of showing that he is addressing a particular group of people that he wants to listen to him.

If it is helpful to give the reason why these people should roll in the dust, the translator may want to do something similar to Good News Translation and say show your despair or “… sorrow.” In some languages this would have to be expressed as “roll in the dust to show that terrible things are happening to you” or “… to show how sad you are.”

One sign of sorrow or despair was to put dust on one’s head or body (see Josh 7.6 and Job 2.12). Rolling in the dust, then, would be a way of covering the body with the dust, to show great sorrow. Rolling probably means turning over one way and then another to try to be sure that the whole body is covered. The Hebrew word for “roll yourselves” (Revised Standard Version) sounds like the word for “Philistines”; such a pun is possible, as it fits with the mention of the Philistine city of Gath.

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 .

Verses 1 and 2 show people of many nations seeking the Lord’s teaching. Verses 3 and 4 go on to show what will happen when this teaching is accepted and practiced. The Lord will settle disputes among the nations so that there are no more causes for quarreling left. Just as the priests made the final legal decisions in Israelite society, so the Lord will make the final decisions among the nations. This refers to matters which one nation might disagree with another nation about, the sort of matters that might otherwise lead to war. It does not mean simply problems that individuals within the nations might have between themselves. The Lord will act as the “judge” (Revised Standard Version).

The nations include not only the minor nations in the vicinity of Israel, but also the great powers near and far. The Lord’s influence and authority will be worldwide in extent. The Hebrew does not actually mention nearby nations (see Revised Standard Version), but the meaning is that every nation will be included, even the most powerful nations and the ones farthest away from Israel. This of course includes the nearby nations, as Good News Translation says. Great powers refers to countries that are powerful and important. The first two clauses of this verse are parallel and can be translated as one unit, rather than using two verbs as Revised Standard Version does, or repeating among as Good News Translation does.

Since the Lord will bring unending peace, there will be no further need for weapons of war, and people everywhere will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Hebrew plows were made of wood, with only an iron tip, so the plow tip is what is technically referred to here. Pruning knives were probably knives attached to long wooden handles, used for cutting off unwanted parts of a grapevine. It is not clear whether there is supposed to be any similarity between swords and plow tips, but a spear would be like a pruning knife in having a long wooden handle. To hammer here refers to the beating or hammering of red-hot iron when it is being shaped into something.

In situations where metal swords and spears are not used as weapons, or where metal plows and pruning knives are not used as agricultural tools, some adjustment in this figure will be necessary. The essential point us that instruments of war and bloodshed will be replaced by instruments of peace and prosperity (contrast Joel 3.10). If iron instruments are not used in an area, it may not be possible to keep the idea that the weapons themselves are made into agricultural tools. In this case, one can simply say that people will destroy their weapons and make tools for farming instead.

The peace brought by the Lord will not only be worldwide in extent, but it will also be eternal in duration. In two more parallel clauses the prophet asserts that Nations will never again go to war. In fact they will never even prepare for battle again. Preparation for battle seems to refer especially to instructing younger men in military skills, as is implied in Revised Standard Version, “neither shall they learn war any more.” Where Good News Translation translates go to war, the Hebrew more literally talks of countries lifting up swords against each other. Some languages may have expressions for going to war that are close to this. It may seem more natural in some languages to mention training for war before going to war.

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 .

Verse 9 contains difficulties both in text and in order. The question of order affects especially the line that comes in the middle of the verse in Revised Standard Version, “and it is sound wisdom to fear thy name.” Most scholars believe that this line is a later scribe’s comment that has become incorporated into the text. It certainly disturbs the flow of the sense through the verse. Some modern translations omit it altogether (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible), but there is no need to be quite as severe as this. Good News Translation makes the flow of meaning easier by placing this line at the beginning of the verse. This allows the more closely linked sentences before and after it to stand together. This reordering is only a point of translation procedure and does not depend on any reordering of the Hebrew text. The sentence It is wise to fear the LORD thus stands a little apart from the main body of the section. Note that in the literal form “thy name” (Revised Standard Version), the name is understood to stand for the person, and Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying the LORD.

In some languages it may be necessary to restructure this line. One possibility is “If a person is wise, he will fear the Lord.” The person who fears the Lord is a person who knows the good way to act. Fear may include the idea of being afraid of, but its main meaning is to have great respect or reverence for, as a child might have toward its parents. In the Hebrew this sentence seems to be spoken directly to God, but Good News Translation has made it simply a statement. It can be translated as direct speech by showing clearly who is spoken to: “Lord, it is wise (for a person) to have reverence for you.”

The clause that opens the verse in Revised Standard Version, “The voice of the LORD cries to the city,” contains a figurative use of “voice,” which here stands for the Lord himself. Some translators may be able to retain this figurative expression, but many will need to follow the example of Good News Translation and state in plain language that it is the Lord who calls to the city. (Since the Lord has already been mentioned by name in the previous sentence, Good News Translation does not repeat the name but refers to him here with the pronoun He.) The city is generally understood to be Jerusalem, and some translators may think it best to make that explicit here. As is clear in the next line, it is the people of the city that the Lord is speaking to, and some translators may also need to make this explicit and say “He calls to the people of Jerusalem.”

In the last clause the Lord begins his direct address to the people. This part of the verse is the one that presents textual problems. The Hebrew text is practically unintelligible, but it is followed literally by King James Version and even by the recent New International Version. New International Version has “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it.” It is hard to see what this is supposed to mean. The large majority of modern translations (Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Moffatt, Good News Translation) and commentaries differ from this interpretation in three ways. First, they take the word translated “rod” in New International Version to mean “tribe” instead. In other passages, this Hebrew word sometimes means “rod” and sometimes means “tribe.” Second, they divide the Hebrew text so as to include the first word of verse 10 with verse 9. Third, they change three consonants in the Hebrew that a scribe could easily have copied wrongly. The meaning of their revised text is “tribe and assembly of the city” (Revised Standard Version). The term “assembly” may refer to a formal gathering, but this is not certain. The two nouns “tribe” and “assembly” together stand for the people, and Good News Translation expresses this in more natural English as you people who assemble in the city. The word assemble may suggest that not all the people addressed actually lived in the city. This may in fact be one reason why the word “tribe” is used, to refer to the people of the tribe of Judah, whether they were citizens of Jerusalem itself or not. Even if they lived in smaller towns or villages outside of Jerusalem, they would gather or assemble in Jerusalem for important occasions.

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 .

This verse is a further comment by the prophet upon the punishment of the rich. Just as the loss of land meant destruction of the family for the poor (verse 2), so the rich will lose not only their land but also their hope of having descendants.

Micah here refers to the original division of the promised land among the tribes of Israel by lot (Josh 14.2) and implies that the time will come for the land to be given back to the LORD’s people. But by then the families of the rich oppressors will be extinct, and thus there will be no share for any of them in the restored land. This will be the full punishment for their reckless greed in Micah’s own day. The expression “the assembly of the LORD” (Revised Standard Version) is the regular expression for Israel as a religious community (see, for example, Num 16.3; 20.4). To be excluded from this group meant not merely the loss of land in any future distribution, but even the loss of the covenant relationship with the Lord.

As in 1.7-8, so in 2.4 the words of the Lord end suddenly, and it is generally agreed that 2.5 is a comment by the people himself. The situation is rather complicated here, because the Lord’s words end in verse 4 with the song that refers to the Lord in the third person. A translator is fortunate if his language has clear ways of showing that someone’s speech has ended, but in any case he should make it clear that verse 5 is not still part of the song or even of the Lord’s speech. Note that the prophet addresses the rich evildoers directly. The verse is not just a comment about them.

The verse begins with So then or “Therefore” (Revised Standard Version). This shows that the situation described here will be a further result of the punishment that the evildoers will receive. As understood by Good News Translation, Micah is assuming here that not only the rich but all of the LORD’s people will lose their land and go into exile, but that the time will come when they will get back the land. The idea of exile was mentioned in chapter 1, but there has been no mention up till now of the idea of the people returning. Each translator will have to decide how much of this information will need to be made explicit here in order to make this verse clear.

When the exiles return, the families of the rich people will have no share or plot of land. This is the meaning of the Hebrew, which refers more specifically to the process by which the family shares were chosen. The “lot” (Revised Standard Version) was probably a set of stones with special markings on them. The stone chosen would show what God’s will was in that particular case. The “line” of Revised Standard Version is the measuring line used to mark out the family plots. The lots may have been used to show where the measuring line should be placed.

“You will have none” (Revised Standard Version) refers to the descendants or family of the rich oppressors. Good News Translation does not mention the descendants explicitly but simply says any of you. It may be clearer in many languages to say “any of your family” or “any of your descendants.”

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 .