¹The LORD ’s word that came to Micah of Morasheth in the days of Jotham , Ahaz, and Hezekiah , kings of Judah , which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem .[#1:1 When rendered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, “” or “GOD” is the translation of God’s Proper Name (Hebrew “”, usually pronounced Yahweh).]

²Hear , you peoples , all of you !

Listen , O earth, and all that is therein .

Let the Lord GOD be witness against you ,

the Lord from his holy temple .

³For behold , the LORD comes out of his place ,[#1:3 “Behold”, from “”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.]

and will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.

⁴The mountains melt under him ,

and the valleys split apart like wax before the fire,

like waters that are poured down a steep place .

⁵“All this is for the disobedience of Jacob ,

and for the sins of the house of Israel .

What is the disobedience of Jacob ?

Isn’t it Samaria ?

And what are the high places of Judah ?

Aren’t they Jerusalem ?

⁶Therefore I will make Samaria like a rubble heap of the field ,

like places for planting vineyards ;

and I will pour down its stones into the valley ,

and I will uncover its foundations .

⁷All her idols will be beaten to pieces ,

all her temple gifts will be burnt with fire,

and I will destroy all her images ;

for of the hire of a prostitute has she gathered them ,

and to the hire of a prostitute shall they return .”

⁸For this I will lament and wail .

I will go stripped and naked .

I will howl like the jackals

and mourn like the ostriches .

⁹For her wounds are incurable;

for it has come even to Judah .

It reaches to the gate of my people ,

even to Jerusalem .

¹⁰Don’t tell it in Gath .

Don’t weep at all .

At Beth Ophrah I have rolled myself in the dust .

¹¹Pass on , inhabitant of Shaphir , in nakedness and shame .

The inhabitant of Zaanan won’t come out .

The wailing of Beth Ezel will take from you his protection.

¹²For the inhabitant of Maroth waits anxiously for good ,

because evil has come down from the LORD to the gate of Jerusalem .

¹³Harness the chariot to the swift steed, inhabitant of Lachish .

She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion ;

for the transgressions of Israel were found in you .

¹⁴Therefore you will give a parting gift to Moresheth Gath.

The houses of Achzib will be a deceitful thing to the kings of Israel .

¹⁵I will yet bring a conqueror to you , inhabitants of Mareshah .

The glory of Israel will come to Adullam .

¹⁶Shave your heads,

and cut off your hair for the children of your delight .

Enlarge your baldness like the vulture,

for they have gone into captivity from you !