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Micah

Foretells judgment and restoration for Jerusalem and emphasizes doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.

Chapter 1

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1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

*The message from God given to Micah, a Morasthite, during the time of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the kings of Judah, about Samaria and Jerusalem.

2 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the LORD from his holy temple.

*Listen everyone, pay attention, earth and everything in it. Let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy place.

3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

*Look, the Lord is coming from his home and will come down to walk on the highest places on Earth.

4 And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

*The mountains will melt under his power, and the valleys will break like wax when heated, just like water rushing down a steep hill.

5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?

*This means that everything happening is because of Jacob's disobedience and the wrongdoings of the Israelites' family. The disobedience is represented by Samaria, and the high places (or important locations) for Judah are Jerusalem.

6 Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.

*So, I will turn Samaria into a pile of field rubble and vineyard plants. I will also dump the rocks into a valley and expose its foundation.

7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

*All the carved images will be broken, and all the money from them will be burned, and I will destroy all the idols. This is because she got the money from a prostitute, and they will go back to being paid like a prostitute.

8 Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.

*So I'll cry loudly and make a sad noise, I'll be without clothes and nothing on my body. My crying will sound like the roars of dragons, and my sadness will be like the calls of owls.

9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

*Her injury cannot be cured; it has reached Judah, arriving at the entrance of my people's city, Jerusalem.

10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.

*"Don't say it in Gath; don't cry there. Roll in the dust at the house of Aphrah."

11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing.

*Go away, person from Saphir, with your shame exposed. The person from Zaanan didn't leave during the sadness of Beth-ezel. They will get their position from you.

12 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.

*The people of Maroth hoped for good things, but the LORD brought evil to the entrance of Jerusalem.

13 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.

*Hey there, person from Lachish! Tie the chariot to a fast animal. It's the start of the problem for the people of Jerusalem. You have some of Israel's wrongdoings in you.

14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

*So, you must give gifts to Moreshethgath. The houses of Achzib will be deceiving to the kings of Israel.

15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.

*"I will still give you a successor, person living in Mareshah; he will arrive in Adullam and be known as the splendor of Israel."

16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

*Shave your head and cut your hair for your precious children; make your baldness big like an eagle's; because they have been taken away as prisoners.

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* work in progress, there will be mistakes

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