Chapter 1 and 2 is a Witness against Israel, Samaria is to be destroyed
Destruction in Israel and Judah (735-710BC per Marilyn Hickey Ministries)
1: 1 The (A)word of the LORD which came to (B)Micah of Moresheth in the days of (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz, and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and which he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, you peoples, all of [a]you; (F)Listen carefully, earth and [b]all it contains, And may the Lord [c]GOD be a (G)witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple.
3 For behold, the LORD is (H)coming forth from His place. He will come down and (I)tread on the high places of the [d]earth.
4 (J)The mountains will melt under Him And the valleys will be split, Like wax before the fire, Like water poured down a steep place. THIS WAS A SONG IN THE PAST.
5 All this is due to the [e]wrongdoing of Jacob And the sins of the house of Israel. What is the (K)[f]wrongdoing of Jacob? Is it not (L)Samaria? What is the (M)high [g]place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem? BECAUSE OF THE SIN OF JACOB THERE WOULD BE JUDGEMENT.
6 For I will make Samaria a (N)heap of ruins [h]in the open country, (O)Planting places for a vineyard. I will (P)hurl her stones down into the valley, And (Q)lay bare her foundations.
7 All of her (R)idols will be crushed, All of her earnings will be burned with fire, And all of her images I will make desolate; For she collected them from a (S)prostitute’s earnings, And to the earnings of a prostitute they will return. JEWELRY FROM EVIL.
8 Because of this I must mourn and wail, I must go (T)barefoot and naked; I must do mourning like the (U)jackals, And a mourning like the ostriches. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. 😊
9 For her (V)wound is incurable, For (W)it has come to Judah; It has reached the (X)gate of my people, Even to Jerusalem.
10 (Y)Do not tell it in Gath, Do not weep at all. At [i]Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust in mourning.
11 [j]Go on your way, inhabitant of [k]Shaphir, in (Z)shameful nakedness. The inhabitant of [l](AA)Zaanan does not [m]escape. The mourning of [n]Beth-ezel: “He will take from you its [o]support.”
12 For the inhabitant of [p]Maroth [q](AB)Waits for something good, Because a disaster has come down from the LORD To the (AC)gate of Jerusalem. SOMETIMES BAD COMES FROM GOD.
13 Harness the chariot to the team of horses, You inhabitant of (AD)Lachish—She was the beginning of sin To the daughter of Zion—Because in you were found The (AE)rebellious acts of Israel. THEY WOULD FOLLOW THE LORD THEN LEAVE. ARE WE REBELLIOUS?
14 Therefore you will give parting (AF)gifts In behalf of Moresheth-gath; The houses of (AG)Achzib will become a [r](AH)deception To the kings of Israel.
15 Moreover, I will bring on you The one who takes possession, You inhabitant of [s](AI)Mareshah. The glory of Israel will enter (AJ)Adullam. I pray I see the glory of God someday.
16 Shave yourself (AK)bald, yes, cut off your hair, Because of the children of your delight; Extend your baldness like the eagle, For they will (AL)go from you into exile. GOD IS HELPING ME. :)
Footnotes
1. Micah 1:2 Lit them
2. Micah 1:2 Lit its fullness
3. Micah 1:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
4. Micah 1:3 Or land
5. Micah 1:5 Or rebellion
6. Micah 1:5 Or rebellion
7. Micah 1:5 Lit places
8. Micah 1:6 Lit of the field
9. Micah 1:10 I.e., house of dust
10. Micah 1:11 I.e., Go into captivity
11. Micah 1:11 I.e., pleasantness
12. Micah 1:11 I.e., going out
13. Micah 1:11 Lit go out
14. Micah 1:11 I.e., the house beside
15. Micah 1:11 Lit standing place
16. Micah 1:12 I.e., bitterness
17. Micah 1:12 Or possibly has been in agony for
18. Micah 1:14 Heb achzab, wordplay on Achzib
19. Micah 1:15 I.e., possession
Woe to Oppressors
2:1 Woe to those who (A)devise wrongdoing, Who practice evil on their beds! [a](B)When morning comes, they do it, Because it is in the (C)power of their hands.
2 They (D)covet fields, so they (E)seize them; And houses, so they take them. They [b](F)exploit a man and his house, A person and his inheritance.
3 Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am (G)planning against this (H)family a catastrophe From which you (I)cannot remove your necks; And you will not walk (J)haughtily, For it will be an (K)evil time. AGAIN, THE LORD CAN CAUSE EVIL.
4 On that day they will (L)take up against you a [c]song of mocking And [d](M)utter a song of mourning and say, ‘We are completely (N)destroyed! He exchanges the share of my people; How He removes it from me! To the apostate He (O)apportions our fields.’ SOMETIMES THERE ARE SONGS OF JOY, SOMETIMES OF MOURNING.
5 Therefore you will have no one [e](P)applying a measuring line For you by lot in the assembly of the LORD. THIS IS LIKE THE PLUMB LINE - USED TO MAKE SURE SOMETHING IS LEVEL - EVEN - CORRECT.
6 ‘(Q)Do not prophesy,’ so they prophesy. But if [f]they do (R)not prophesy about these things, (S)Insults will not be turned back. DO WE DO WHAT THE LORD SAYS?
7 Is it being said, house of Jacob: ‘Is the Spirit of the LORD (T)impatient? Are these His works?’ Do My words not (U)do good For the one (V)walking rightly? THE LORD HAS WAITED. LOOK AROUND TO SEE PROOF OF GOD FROM NATURE, ETC.
8 [g]Recently My people have arisen as an (W)enemy—You (X)strip the robe off the garment From Y)unsuspecting passers-by, From those returned from war.
9 You (Z)evict the women of My people, Each one from her pleasant house. From her children you take My (AA)splendor forever.
10 Arise and go, For this is no place (AB)of rest Because of the (AC)uncleanness that brings on destruction, A painful destruction. OUR SIN CAN BRING DESTRUCTION.
11 If someone walking after wind and (AD)falsehood Had lied and said, ‘I will prophesy to you about (AE)wine and liquor,’ He would become a prophet to (AF)this people.
12 “I will certainly (AG)assemble all of you, Jacob, I will certainly gather the (AH)remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold; Like a flock in the midst of its pasture They will be noisy with people. THE LORD ALLOWED JEWS TO LEAVE. SOME ARE RETURNING.
The first significant Jewish Diaspora was the result of the Babylonian Exile of 586 BCE. (c/o Britannica.com) Under Israel’s Law of Return (1950) as amended in 1970, all non-Israeli Jews and Gentile converts to Judaism are entitled to settle in Israel and receive full Israeli citizenship. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Law-of-Return
13 The one who breaks through goes up before them; They break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it. So their king passes on before them, And the LORD at their head.”
Footnotes
1. Micah 2:1 Lit In the light of the morning
2. Micah 2:2 Or oppress
3. Micah 2:4 Or proverb
4. Micah 2:4 Lit lament
5. Micah 2:5 Lit casting
6. Micah 2:6 I.e., God’s prophets
1. Micah 2:8 Lit And yesterday
Chapter 3 – 5 are about failures of leaders,
Rulers Denounced (Princes, prophets and priests)
3: 1 And I said, “Hear now, you [a]leaders of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice? WE NEED TO PRAY FOR MERCY, GRACE & JUSTICE.
2 You who hate good and love evil, Who tear off their skin from them And their flesh from their bones, WE NEED TO HATE EVIL AND LOVE GOOD.
3 Who eat the flesh of my people, Strip off their skin from them, Smash their bones, And chop them up as for the pot, And as meat in a cauldron!”
4 Then they will cry out to the LORD, But He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time Because they have practiced evil deeds. WE NEED TO CRY OUT.
5 This is what the LORD says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray: When they have something to bite with their teeth, They cry out, “Peace!” But against him who puts nothing in their mouths They declare holy war. BE CAREFUL OF FALSE PROPHETS.
6 Therefore it will be night for you—without vision, And darkness for you—without divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be put to shame, And the diviners will be ashamed. Indeed, they will all cover their [b]lips Because there is no answer from God. I PRAY WE HEAR FROM GOD.
8 On the other hand, I am filled with power—With the Spirit of the LORD—And with justice and courage To make known to Jacob his rebellious act, And to Israel his sin. THE SPIRIT GIVES US POWER. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THE WORDS ARE DYNAMITE, AUTHORITY (DUNAMIS / EXOUSIA)
9 Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who despise justice And twist everything that is straight, SOME DESPISE JUSTICE – PLEASE PRAY FOR GOVERNMENT.
10 Who build Zion with bloodshed, And Jerusalem with malice. SOME LOVE DEATH. PRAY FOR INMATES.
11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD not in our midst? Catastrophe will not come upon us.” WE HAVE TO BE CAREUL OF GETTING PAID FOR MINISTRY. ARE WE DOING IT FOR THE MONEY OR FOR MINISTRY?
12 Therefore on account of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, And the mountain of the [c]temple will become high places of a forest.
Footnotes
a. Micah 3:1 Lit heads
b. Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
c. Micah 3:12 Lit house
Peaceful Latter Days, the Millennial kingdom
4:1 And it will come about in the (A)last days That the (B)mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established [a]as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the (C)peoples will stream to it. I PRAY MORE COME CHRISTIAN SERVICES.
2 (D)Many nations will come and say, “(E)Come and let’s go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, So that (F)He may teach us about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For (G)from Zion will go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. I PRAY DIFFERENT RACES COME TO BIBLE STUDIES AND TO CHURCH – INVITE THEM! WE MODEL CHRIST’S LIFE.
3 And He will (H)judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, [b]distant nations. Then they will beat their swords (I)into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift a sword against nation, And never again will they [c]train for war. THE LORD ALLOWED JUDGES TO INFLUENCE YOU. DIFFERENT BIBLICAL BOOKS DISCUSSED SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES (JOEL IS FOR WAR?). THIS VERSION IS ABOUT PEACE. I PRAY WE HAVE PEACE IN THE WORLD, BUT SOMETIMES WAR IS NECESSARY TO FORM PEACE.
4 Instead, each of them will (J)sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With (K)no one to make them afraid, Because the (L)mouth of the LORD of armies has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk, Each in the (M)name of his god, As for us, (N)we will walk In the name of the (O)LORD our God forever and ever. WE ALL WORSHIP SOMETHING.
6 “On that day,” declares the LORD, “I will assemble those who (P)limp And (Q)gather the scattered, Those whom I have afflicted. GOD KNOWS WHO IS HURTING.
7 I will make those who limp a (R)remnant, And those who [d]have strayed a mighty nation, And the (S)LORD will reign over them on Mount Zion From now on and forever. KING JESUS IS ALL (A SONG) REGARDLESS OF WHO IS ELECTED.
8 As for you, [e](T)tower of the flock, [f]Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come—Yes, the (U)former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
9 “Now, why do you (V)cry out loudly? Is there no king among you, Or has your (W)counselor perished, That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth? WE NEED GODLY LEADERS - PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE OVER US.
10 (X)Writhe and scream, Daughter of Zion, Like a woman in childbirth; For now you will (Y)go out of the city, Live in the field, And go to Babylon. ZION = JERSULAEM; BABYLON WAS IN IRAQ.
(Z)There you will be rescued, (AA)There the LORD will redeem you From the hand of your enemies.
11 And now (AB)many nations have been assembled against you Who say, ‘Let her be defiled,
And let our eyes [g]gloat over Zion!’ MUSLIMS SOMETIMES DON’T LIKE JEWS. SEE PBS, ETC.
12 But they do not (AC)know the thoughts of the LORD, And they do not understand His plan; For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. DO WE LISTEN FOR HIS THOUGHTS? THE LORD SOMETHING THRESHES US TO BE MORE PURE.
13 Arise and (AD)thresh, daughter of Zion, For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hoofs bronze, So that you may (AE)pulverize many peoples, And (AF)dedicate to the LORD their unjust profit, And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth. I PRAY WE PULVERIZE EVIL. WE SHOULD USE OUR WEALTH FOR THE LORD.
Footnotes
1. Micah 4:1 Lit on
2. Micah 4:3 Lit at a distance
3. Micah 4:3 Lit learn
4. Micah 4:7 Or are far removed
5. Micah 4:8 Heb Migdal-eder
6. Micah 4:8 Heb Ophel
7. Micah 4:11 Lit see with pleasure
See www.biblegateway.com for the Footnotes references.
