The opening phrase is a standard exclamation of despair in Hebrew, as is the Revised Standard Version “Woe is me!” in English. It cannot be translated literally, but many translators will find some common expression in their language that will fit very well here. Others may have to use an ordinary sentence in much the same way as Good News Translation has done with It’s hopeless! Very few translators however will want to translate literally It’s hopeless! Hopeless means that there is no chance of succeeding. The whole sentence in Good News Translation then means “There is no chance of doing what I am trying to do.” Other ways of putting this may be “All my work is wasted” or “I feel very sad.”

The picture in the rest of the verse is derived from the farming practices of Israel. After the main harvest had been gathered, the farmer was forbidden by the Law to go back over the fields or orchards to gather any grain or fruit that had been missed the first time (Lev 19.9-10; Deut 24.21). Whatever remained was to be left for the poor to take, or glean, as Ruth did (Ruth 2). Once the fields or orchards had been gleaned in this way by the poor, there really would be nothing left. Here Micah says he feels as disappointed as a hungry man would be if he went out to glean, but found that he was too late, and that no fruit was left on the trees and no grapes on the vines. Because the gleaners have already been at work, All the grapes and all the tasty (Revised Standard Version “first-ripe”) figs have been picked. The Hebrew expression here is a rather difficult one, as seen in Revised Standard Version, “I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered.” Note that Good News Translation‘s hungry is from the Hebrew phrase “which my soul desires,” but is applied to the person’s general desire for food rather than for “first-ripe figs” alone.

In some languages it may be necessary to say clearly that the man was looking for fruit and grapes but finds none, although the idea of looking for them has been left implicit in both the Hebrew and Good News Translation.

If the translator wishes to keep “which my soul desires” (Good News Translation hungry) as a description of the “first-ripe (tasty) figs,” he may say “… all the tasty figs that I would have liked so much have been picked.” In areas where grapes and figs are not known, it is usually better to use general terms for fruit and crops rather than to substitute particular fruits that are grown in the region but may not be known in Israel.

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 13 God is no longer speaking but is referred to in the third person. In some languages it may sound strange or awkward to switch suddenly from God’s speech in verse 12 to the prophet’s speech in verse 13. Since the prophet is speaking on behalf of God, some translators may consider translating verse 13 as part of God’s speech, and changing the third person references to first person. However, this will not be easy in many languages because God is called here Their king and the LORD. If translators prefer to keep this verse in the third person and take it as the prophet’s speech, then it is important to make clear that God’s speech ends in verse 12. This should be done in whatever way is natural in the language.

In verse 13 Good News Translation identifies the actor as God who will open the way for the people and lead them out of exile. In the Hebrew, God, the leader, is described as “He who opens the breach” (Revised Standard Version; Good News Translation will open the way for them), and this verb is repeated in the next clause in reference to the people who follow: they will break out of the gates of the city of their captivity and thus go free. Their leader is finally revealed as Their king, not a human figure, but the LORD himself. The very one who punished them and caused their defeat, captivity, and exile will be the one who rescues them and leads them back to their own land.

The reference to God opening the way is explained by the next sentence in Good News Translation. It means that God will help the people to break … free. There may be some confusion about whether God or the people actually break open the gates. If this is a problem, a translator can say that God breaks open the gates of the city so that the people can follow him out. Gates will probably be translated literally here, even if it was not in 1.9. It can be translated as “doors in the city wall.” Although cities sometimes had several sets of gates, it is best to assume that this means just one set of two gates that fit into a single doorway. Some translators may want to say “the city where they were held as captives.” To be in exile means to be forced to leave your own country and live in a different one. It may be translated as “imprisoned in a foreign country,” although the people were not actually kept in prisons but were allowed to have their own homes.

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 10-15 form a single paragraph in which the prophet speaks about removing everything evil from the nation of Israel and stopping all activities related to idol worship. Verses 10-13 are similar to one another in form, and each begins with “and I will cut off.” This is a single word in Hebrew, a form of the verb karath, which occurred in verse 9 and is a keyword in this section. In Hebrew, the word does mean “cut” in the literal sense, but it is also used in extended and figurative ways. In many languages it will not be possible to use the same word for each of the occurrences of karath here. However, translators may be able to find some other word that they can use several times in this paragraph, even if it is not always used to translate karath. Good News Translation has done something like this with its repetition of the word destroy. The first time it occurs (verse 10) it translates a different Hebrew verb, but in the other three occurrences it translates karath. If some repetition of this kind can be used in other languages, it may help to convey some of the rhythm of the Hebrew and some of its emotional impact.

The whole paragraph is the direct word of the Lord and is placed in quotation marks in Good News Translation. The Lord is speaking to the people of Israel here, and some translators may need to make this clear so that readers will know who you and your refer to in this quotation. The you is singular in Hebrew, but it will probably need to be translated by a plural in many languages.

The opening expression “in that day” (Revised Standard Version) refers to an indefinite point in the future, as in 4.6, and is translated At that time in Good News Translation. In the present context it follows verses 7 and 8, which speak of the time of the exile, and it probably refers to the same period also. Historically it was indeed during the exile that the people of Israel finally overcame the temptation to worship idols. This practice, though repeatedly condemned, had never been completely removed during the period of the kings.

However, before mentioning false religion specifically, this passage first deals with reliance on human military strength. The Lord declares that he will take away your horses and destroy your chariots. The prophets often condemned Israel for relying on such things, because this frequently involved military alliances with foreign powers, and such alliances could mean that a certain amount of recognition would have to be given to foreign gods. See for instance Isa 2.7-8; 30.15-16; 31.1; Hos 14.3. As has been mentioned already, the word translated here as take away is literally “cut off,” which means to destroy completely. Good News Translation used a different word here in order to use the word destroy with chariots. Some translators may prefer to use a single verb with both horses and chariots and say “I will destroy all your horses and chariots.” Horses were used only for war in Israel at that time, but modern readers who do not know this may wonder why all the horses should be destroyed. It may be clearer to state explicitly that these are “war-horses” or “horses used for war.” The horses pulled the chariots and sometimes were also ridden by soldiers. Chariots are discussed in the comments on 1.13.

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 prophet here goes on to speak of the return of the people of Israel from exile. There is some textual difficulty with the list of places mentioned, but the general effect of the list is well expressed by Good News Translation, which begins Your people will return to you from everywhere. Of the places listed, Assyria and Egypt were the opposite ends of the familiar world. The original readers knew in which directions they were, but Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying Assyria in the east and Egypt in the south.

The Hebrew actually contains two reference to Egypt, as shown in Revised Standard Version. Some translators here prefer to follow the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and read “Tyre” instead of the second reference to Egypt. (The names for these two places were more similar in Hebrew than they appear in English.) Jerusalem Bible is one translation that does this, and the effect is to give two pairs of names (Assyria and Egypt, Tyre and the River [Euphrates]), which form a better balanced list than the three names of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. However, the Hebrew makes good sense as it stands, and it should be followed. Translators should note that the Euphrates River is in the same direction as Assyria, so that the two lines seem to describe the same set of directions, first moving from northeast (Assyria) to southwest (Egypt), then from southwest (Egypt) back to northeast (the Euphrates). If this is the intention, it may be clearer just to say it once (“from Assyria and the Euphrates River in the east and from Egypt in the south”), rather than to suggest that three separate places are in mind, as Good News Translation does. Note than in Hebrew the Euphrates in simply referred to as “the River” (Revised Standard Version).

The literal “from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain” (Revised Standard Version) refers to all seas and mountains in general. This idea is well expressed in English by Good News Translation‘s from distant seas and far-off mountains, but many languages may prefer a form closer to the Hebrew, as long as it has the correct meaning.

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 .

Though this verse and the next continue to use the first person, as in verses 6 and 7, there is a change of speaker. This change is signaled in Good News Translation by the introductory words Then Micah said. It will usually be necessary to include in a translation some indication of the change of speaker, because otherwise it will sound as though God himself is still talking. However, in some languages it may be more natural to solve this problem by indicating in some way that God’s speech is finished. If this can be done, it may not be necessary to mention Micah here. In some ways it will be better not to mention Micah, since he is the author of the book, and in other places where he speaks we do not put in his name.

Because of this refers not to the loss of the idols just mentioned, but to the punishment and destruction of Samaria in the whole of verses 6-8. Some scholars take this to refer not to what has preceded, but to the description of the enemy invasion in verses 10-16. (See for instance the way Jerusalem Bible divides the paragraphs.) However, this analysis seems unlikely because there is so much text in between.

Mourn and lament are terms commonly associated with grief for the dead. It is not necessary to use two terms here if there is only one appropriate term in the translator’s language.

To walk about barefoot and naked is also a gesture that symbolizes sorrow (compare 2 Sam 15.30), and Good News Translation makes this explicit with the words To show my sorrow. To walk barefoot and naked also reminds people of prisoners of war and is perhaps intended to show what will happen to the inhabitants of Samaria. Barefoot means “without shoes (or other footwear).” The Hebrew word for naked usually means having no outer garments and wearing only a loincloth. This is probably the meaning here, though in Assyrian reliefs male prisoners are often shown completely naked. (Compare with the reference to nakedness in verse 11.) It is not likely that Micah went about fully unclothed. A similar situation is spoken of in Isa 20.2-4. In many languages the usual word for naked will mean that Micah was wearing nothing at all. If this is not too offensive to the readers, it is possible to use this word, although it is unlikely that this is what Micah did. Otherwise it can be translated as “with nothing on but a loincloth.”

If walking around barefoot and naked is a way of mourning in the culture of the translation, then of course it is not necessary to add To show my sorrow.

A jackal is an animal like a wild dog or a fox. Jackals go about in packs, mostly at night, and have a long and unpleasant howl. The ostrich used to be widespread in the Middle East but is now found only in Africa. Ostriches rarely make a noise, and some scholars believe that the Hebrew word really means a kind of owl that does screech. New English Bible has “desert owl,” and for many translators it may be easier to find an equivalent for owl than for ostrich. The context makes it clear that some bird that does make a loud and harsh noise is in mind.

Howl and wail are used to describe the cries of mourning, or of sorrow for the dead, or for some terrible thing that has happened. If a language does not have two words that can be compared to the sounds of jackals and ostriches (or owls), then one word is enough: “I will howl like jackals and ostriches.”

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 expression In days to come occurs frequently in the Old Testament. Generally, as here, it refers to the fairly distant future, especially the time when the Messiah will come (see Hos 3.5; Dan 10.14). One may translate it as “The time will come when…” or simply “In the future.” The prophets often connected this future time with changes in the shape of the land, especially the land in the Jerusalem area (see Isa 40.4; Zech 14.5-10). It is not clear whether the prophets themselves regarded these statements as literal or figurative, but they are certainly not standard literary figures of speech. Therefore they should be translated literally in order to retain the possibility of a literal interpretation.

The fact that the mountain where the Temple stands will be the highest one of all undoubtedly has a spiritual significance and reflects the preeminence of the Lord, in whose honor the Temple was built. The expression towering above all the hills is rather idiomatic in English and may need to be put more plainly in other languages as “it will be much higher than the other hills.” The meaning here may perhaps be that this mountain will be the highest in the world, not merely the highest of all the mountains in the area. Just how this could happen is not explained here in detail, but the main picture is that this mountain is raised up (see Revised Standard Version) higher than it now is. In similar passages there is also talk of other mountains being leveled (as in Isa 40.4).

Because of the prominence of the Temple and of the Lord whom it represented, Many nations will come streaming to it. Many nations means of course “the people of many nations” and may need to be expressed in this fuller form. In the word streaming, Good News Translation is able to retain a figure of speech very similar to that in the Hebrew, which is literally “they will flow toward it.” If this metaphor is unnatural to a translator, he could either change it to a simile and say “Many nations will come toward it just as a river flows along,” or else change to some other metaphor that is more appropriate to his language. Among English translators, Knox has changed the metaphor by saying “the nations will flock there together.” If no suitable alternative figure of speech can be found, the plain meaning is simply “Many nations will keep coming toward it.”

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 7 the offerings suggested gradually increase in size and value until they reach a climax that is both horrifying and self-defeating. It was quite beyond the ability of the ordinary Israelite to offer thousands of sheep, though on rare state occasions such huge offerings were made (1 Kgs 8.63; 2 Chr 30.24; 35.7). Some translators may need to express the sex of the sheep. As Revised Standard Version “rams” indicates, they were males. Be pleased here means that the Lord will consider that the offering is a good one and will accept it, and therefore he will accept and be happy with the one who brings it.

The next suggestion the worshiper makes is literally “ten thousands of rivers of oil” (Revised Standard Version). The numeral is not meant literally and simply stands for a very large number. Good News Translation expresses this well with its endless streams. Good News Translation also makes it explicit that the kind of oil was the olive oil that was required to accompany grain offerings (compare 6.15; see, for example, Lev 2). Endless streams of olive oil would therefore imply grain offerings vast beyond imagination. Translators should find a good expression in their own language to suggest a huge amount of liquid. It is not likely that endless streams will be the right solution in many languages. In languages where the olive or olive oil is not known, the word chosen for oil should suggest cooking oil. Olives are a kind of fruit that grows on a tree. Another possibility is to say “enough oil to go with huge grain offerings.”

In the last part of verse 7 the speaker seems to realize that all his suggestions are futile. At the climax of the list he suggests something that was forbidden in Israel, namely, child sacrifice. Although this practice was forbidden, it was nevertheless sometimes carried out, as for instance by King Ahaz in 2 Kgs 16.3. Perhaps some reference to this event is intended here.

In the Hebrew this suggestion is made in two parallel clauses (see Revised Standard Version), with synonyms for child (“my first-born” and “the fruit of my body”) and for sin (“transgression” and “sin”). In Good News Translation Shall I offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins? this parallelism is combined into a single clause, and there is no repetition of synonyms. Many translators will find this shorter form of expression more natural in their own languages. First-born means oldest. The Revised Standard Version phrase “the sin of my soul” probably means “my own personal sin” and is adequately conveyed by my sins of Good News Translation. The intended purpose of the child sacrifice was to remove sin, and this is made explicit in to pay for of Good News Translation. Of course, the killing of one’s child counted as murder, and if carried out it would in fact increase the sin of the speaker, not remove it. The sacrifice of the highest possible value is thus shown to be useless in pleasing God. In this way the speaker is partially prepared for the answer that comes from the prophet in the next verse, which ignores the sacrificial system entirely (compare Heb 10.4).

Because human sacrifice is so opposed to the teaching of the Bible, many readers may not realize that this is the meaning here unless it is made very clear. It may be expressed as “Shall I kill my first-born child as an offering?” To pay for may cause problems for some translators. If there is a word to express the payment or other action that is required by the law in order to put right the bad effects of a crime, this can perhaps be used here. In some languages it may be necessary to mention these events in the order in which they occurred and say something like “I have sinned, so should I sacrifice my child to God to pay for my sins?”

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 3-4 say more about the Lord’s disapproval of the evil rich and about the form their punishment will take. Verse 3 echoes the very words of verse 1, as the Lord says that he is planning … disaster (verse 3) for those who plan evil (verse 1). The Hebrew verb for plan is the same in both places, and the two nouns evil and disaster are formed from the same root. English requires two different words according to the two contexts, but in other languages there may be a single term that fits both. If such a term can be found, its use will serve to emphasize the way verse 3 is related to verse 1.

In the Hebrew the Lord’s speech begins with the word translated “Behold” (Revised Standard Version). This is a way of showing that something new and unexpected is about to happen. It is not an easy term to translate into English, but translators in languages that have an appropriate expression of this sort should use it here. Jerusalem Bible here has “Now it is I who plot,” which gives something of the force of “Behold,” as well as helping to draw attention to the fact that the Lord is acting toward the evil men as they have acted toward others.

On you: the first line of the Lord’s speech refers to the evildoers as “this family” (Revised Standard Version), which may be an insulting way of talking about them. In the rest of the speech, however, the Lord addresses them directly as “you” (plural), and Good News Translation felt that it is clearer to use you at the beginning as well. Many translators will want to keep the same form of address throughout, but if there is a somewhat insulting form of “you” that will be all right for God to use, it may be appropriate here. A possibility in English may be “you gang” or “you crew.”

The disaster that the Lord will bring will be such that the rich will not be able to escape it. Here there is in the Hebrew a metaphor of an ox yoke that will be put on the rich, and from which “you cannot remove your necks” (Revised Standard Version). In cultures where plowing with oxen is familiar, it may be more vivid to retain the metaphor as long as it sounds natural in the language. New English Bible links the metaphor with the clause that follows it by translating “whose yoke you cannot shake from your necks and walk upright.” Other major English versions take the “upright” as a figurative expression representing arrogance, and render “haughtily” (Revised Standard Version) or “proudly” (Jerusalem Bible, New International Version). Good News Translation follows this interpretation and also reorders the last two clauses of the verse to put the reason (You are going to find yourselves in trouble) before the result (and then you will not walk so proudly any more). Translators should follow the clause order that is most natural in the receptor language.

The most natural expression in many languages may be closer to “it will be an evil time” (Revised Standard Version) than to You are going to find yourselves in trouble, but the meaning is the same, and translators should not necessarily try to follow either English expression exactly.

Although Good News Translation has dropped the reference to the yoke on the necks, it has kept the figurative expression, walk so proudly. This refers to the proud attitude of the evildoers, and some translators may need to use a more general term that does not mention walking.

Any more has been added by Good News Translation to show that, up until this time when God punished them, these people have been walking proudly. Other languages may have quite different ways of conveying this same idea, or it may be correct to leave it implicit, as it is in the Hebrew.

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 .