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Micah speaks against the bad leaders of Israel

3 Then I spoke to the leaders:

Listen to me, I said.
You are the leaders of Jacob's people,
you are the rulers of Israel.
You ought to know what is right or wrong.
2 But you hate what is good.
And you love what is bad.
You would like to tear the skin off my people,
and pull the meat from their bones.
3 You look at my people and you are like butchers.
They strip the skin off an animal and they break its bones.
Then they cut the meat into pieces and they cook it in a pot.
They are happy when they eat the meat.
4 One day you will shout to the Lord for help,
but he will not answer you.
Instead, God will turn away from you at that time,
because you have done those bad things.

5 The Lord says this: ‘It will be very bad for the prophets who tell false messages. They lead my people the wrong way with false promises. If people give food to them, then they are happy. So they promise that there will be no war. But, if people do not feed them, they become angry. They promise that war will come.

6 Because of that, it will become like night for you.
I will not show you my messages.
You will no longer see what will happen in future times.
The sun will go down over you prophets,
and the day will become dark for you.
7 Then you prophets will be ashamed.
You who tell what will happen in future times will be confused.
You will hide your faces in shame because you have no message from me.’

8 But the Spirit of the Lord fills me, to make me powerful.
He helps me to know what is right and fair.
He makes me brave so that I can speak to you, Jacob's people.
I can tell you what you have done wrong.
You are Israel's people,
but you have not obeyed God. [ a ]
9 So listen to this, you leaders of Jacob's people.
You are Israel's rulers.
But you never do what is right and fair.
You take what is good.
And you make it seem bad.
10 You rule Zion city, which is Jerusalem.
But you are cruel, and you kill honest people. [ b ]
11 You are the city's rulers, but you accept bribes.
Then you do not judge people in a fair way.
You priests teach people only if they pay you. [ c ]
You prophets speak about what will happen in future times.
But you only speak if you receive money.
But you still say that you trust the Lord .
You say, ‘The Lord is with us, so nothing bad will happen to us.’
12 Because of how you live, Zion will be like a field that a farmer has dug.
Jerusalem will become a heap of stones.
Trees will cover the hill where the temple is now. [ d ]

Footnotes

  1. 3:8 Now Micah is speaking for himself.
  2. 3:10 The rulers did bad things. They were ready to kill anyone who tried to stop them. They did whatever they wanted to do. Also, the rulers made the people work very much. Many people may have died because they worked so much.
  3. 3:11 A priest was a man that God chose to serve him.
  4. 3:12 Zion and Jerusalem are different names for the city where God's house, the temple, was built. Micah tells the leaders that the city will become completely spoiled.

The Leaders of Israel Are Guilty of Evil

3 Then I said, “Listen, leaders of Jacob and officers of the nation [ a ] of Israel!
You should know what justice is.
2 But you hate good and love evil.
You tear the skin off the people
and tear the flesh off their bones.
3 You are destroying my people. [ b ]
You take their skin off them and break their bones.
You chop their bones up like meat to put in the pot!
4 Then you will pray to the Lord ,
but he will not answer you.
No, he will hide his face from you,
because what you do is evil.”

False Prophets

5 Some false prophets are telling lies to the Lord’s people. This is what the Lord says about them:

“These prophets are led by their stomachs.
They promise peace for those who give them food,
but they promise war to those who do not give them food.

6 “This is why it is like night for you
and you don’t have visions.
You cannot see what will happen in the future,
so it is like darkness to you.
The sun has gone down on the prophets.
They cannot see what will happen in the future,
so it is like darkness to them.
7 The seers are ashamed.
The fortunetellers are embarrassed.
None of them will say anything,
because God will not speak to them.”

Micah Is an Honest Prophet of God

8 But the Lord ’s Spirit has filled me
with power, goodness, and strength.
So I can tell Jacob about his crimes,
and so I can tell Israel about his sins!

The Leaders of Israel Are to Blame

9 Leaders of Jacob and rulers of Israel, listen to me!
You hate the right way of living!
If something is straight,
then you make it crooked!
10 You build Zion by murdering people. [ c ]
You build Jerusalem by cheating people!
11 The judges in Jerusalem accept bribes
to help them decide who wins in court.
The priests in Jerusalem must be paid
before they will teach the people.
People must pay the prophets
before they will look into the future.
Then those leaders expect the Lord to help them.
They say, “The Lord lives here with us,
so nothing bad will happen to us.”

12 Leaders, because of you, Zion will be destroyed.
It will become a plowed field.
Jerusalem will become a pile of rocks.
Temple Mount will be an empty hill [ d ] overgrown with bushes.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:1 nation Literally, “house.” This might mean the royal family of that country.
  2. Micah 3:3 You are destroying my people Literally, “ You who eat the flesh of my people.”
  3. Micah 3:10 murdering people Literally, “bloodshed.”
  4. Micah 3:12 empty hill Or “high place,” a term usually used for local shrines (places for worship) where people often worshiped idols.

3 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?

2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

4 Then shall they cry unto the Lord , but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.

6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.

7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.

8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord , and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord , and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

Rulers Denounced

3 And I said,

“ ( A ) Hear now, you [ a ] leaders of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not for you to ( B ) know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
Who ( C ) tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who ( D ) eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Smash their bones,
And ( E ) chop them up as for the pot,
And as meat in a cauldron!”
4 Then they will ( F ) cry out to the Lord ,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will ( G ) hide His face from them at that time
Because they have ( H ) practiced evil deeds.

5 This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who ( I ) lead my people astray:

When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They ( J ) cry out, “Peace!”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be ( K ) night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The ( L ) sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be ( M ) put to shame,
And the ( N ) diviners will be ashamed.
Indeed, they will all ( O ) cover their [ b ] lips
Because there is ( P ) no answer from God.
8 On the other hand, ( Q ) I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord —
And with justice and courage
To ( R ) make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, you ( S ) heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who ( T ) despise justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who ( U ) build Zion with bloodshed,
And Jerusalem with malice.
11 Her leaders pronounce ( V ) judgment for a bribe,
Her ( W ) priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord , saying,
“ ( X ) Is the Lord not in our midst?
Catastrophe will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you,
( Y ) Zion will be plowed like a field,
( Z ) Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the ( AA ) mountain of the [ c ] temple will become high places of a forest.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:1 Lit heads
  2. Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
  3. Micah 3:12 Lit house

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

3 Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders ( A ) of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2 you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
and the flesh from their bones; ( B )
3 who eat my people’s flesh, ( C )
strip off their skin
and break their bones in pieces; ( D )
who chop ( E ) them up like meat for the pan,
like flesh for the pot? ( F ) ”

4 Then they will cry out to the Lord ,
but he will not answer them. ( G )
At that time he will hide his face ( H ) from them
because of the evil they have done. ( I )

5 This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
who lead my people astray, ( J )
they proclaim ‘peace’ ( K )
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination. ( L )
The sun will set for the prophets, ( M )
and the day will go dark for them. ( N )
7 The seers will be ashamed ( O )
and the diviners disgraced. ( P )
They will all cover ( Q ) their faces ( R )
because there is no answer from God. ( S ) ”
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord ,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin. ( T )

9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right; ( U )
10 who build ( V ) Zion with bloodshed, ( W )
and Jerusalem with wickedness. ( X )
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, ( Y )
her priests teach for a price, ( Z )
and her prophets tell fortunes for money. ( AA )
Yet they look ( AB ) for the Lord ’s support and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No disaster will come upon us.” ( AC )
12 Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, ( AD )
the temple ( AE ) hill a mound overgrown with thickets. ( AF )

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