הֹוי חֹשְׁבֵי־אָוֶן וּפֹעֲלֵי רָע עַל־מִשְׁכְּבֹותָם בְּאֹור הַבֹּקֶר יַעֲשׂוּהָ כִּי יֶשׁ־לְאֵל יָדָם׃   2:1

Mica. 2:1   Ah, plotters of wickedness

                             and preparers of evil on their beds!

                   With the light of the morning they would bring it about,

                             because their hand had the power.

וְחָמְדוּ שָׂדֹות וְגָזָלוּ וּבָתִּים וְנָשָׂאוּ וְעָשְׁקוּ גֶּבֶר וּבֵיתֹו וְאִישׁ וְנַחֲלָתֹו׃   2:2

Mica. 2:2   And they would covet fields and plunder,

                             and houses, and they would take away,

                    and oppress any strong man and his house,

                             and anyone and his heritage.

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה הִנְנִי חֹשֵׁב עַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה הַזֹּאת רָעָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תָמִישׁוּ מִשָּׁם צַוְּארֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא   2:3      תֵלְכוּ רֹומָה כִּי עֵת רָעָה הִיא׃

Mica. 2:3   Therefore thus says the Lord:

                    “Behold, I am planning evil against this family

                              from which you will not be able to remove your necks or walk haughtily,

                    as it shall be a miserable time.”

בַּיֹּום הַהוּא יִשָּׂא עֲלֵיכֶם מָשָׁל וְנָהָה נְהִי נִהְיָה אָמַר שָׁדֹוד נְשַׁדֻּנוּ חֵלֶק עַמִּי יָמִיר אֵיךְ יָמִישׁ לִי   2:4          לְשֹׁובֵב שָׂדֵינוּ יְחַלֵּק׃

Mica. 2:4   In that time a proverb shall be taken up about you,

                              and a lamentation will be wailed;

                    ‘It is done,’ it says, ’we are utterly ruined.’

                             The portion of my people shall be reversed.

                    How shall mine depart?

                             He shall distribute our fields to the apostate.

לָכֵן לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ מַשְׁלִיךְ חֶבֶל בְּגֹורָל בִּקְהַל יְהוָה׃   2:5

Mica. 2:5   Therefore there shall not be a casting of a portion by lot for you

                              in the congregation of the Lord.

אַל־תַּטִּפוּ יַטִּיפוּן לֹא־יַטִּפוּ לָאֵלֶּה לֹא יִסַּג כְּלִמֹּות׃   2:6

Mica. 2:6   “Do not prophesy,” they will preach.

                             They must not prophesy regarding these things,

                    “He shall not remove the disgraced ones.”

Some commentators believe this admonition is hailed against Micah.  However, I find this belief distressing.  Because the verb, “Do not prophesy.” happens to be plural, so they (priests?) must be addressing more than one prophet.  How can earnest and intelligent scholars make this kind of mistake?  Two possible reasons:  Because it is customary to often disregard the Hebrew grammar, or because they tend to copy or echo one another’s ideas.

הֶאָמוּר בֵּית־יַעֲקֹב הֲקָצַר רוּחַ יְהוָה אִם־אֵלֶּה מַעֲלָלָיו הֲלֹוא דְבָרַי יֵיטִיבוּ עִם הַיָּשָׁר הֹולֵךְ׃   2:7

Mica. 2:7   Do I boast, house of Jacob?

                             Is the spirit of the Lord grieved when these things are His doings?

                    Should my words not be pleasant with one who walks uprightly?

I have difficulty deciding whether these are Micah’s words in this verse or the Lord’s.  Although there are numerous verses in the bible in which God speaks in the third-person, I think the phrase “Do I boast ...?” sounds more like Micah than the Lord.  I could be wrong, but I stick by my first impression.  I realize that it is surrounded by God’s words in preceding and subsequent verses, yet that happens quite often, especially in the prophetic books.  Furthermore, it seems to me that in this verse Micah is answering those preaching to not prophesy in the preceding verse.

וְאֶתְמוּל עַמִּי לְאֹויֵב יְקֹוםֵם מִמּוּל שַׂלְמָה אֶדֶר תַּפְשִׁטוּן מֵעֹבְרִים בֶּטַח שׁוּבֵי מִלְחָמָה׃   2:8

Mica. 2:8   “But of late My people would raise themselves up to be an enemy;

                             you would strip off the mantle from the front of a garment

                    from passersby of security, returnees of the battle.”

נְשֵׁי עַמִּי תְּגָרְשׁוּן מִבֵּית תַּעֲנֻגֶיהָ מֵעַל עֹלָלֶיהָ תִּקְחוּ הֲדָרִי לְעֹולָם׃   2:9

Mica. 2:9   “You would cast out each of the women of My people

                             from the house of her delight;

                    you would take away My glory from her children forever.”

קוּמוּ וּלְכוּ כִּי לֹא־זֹאת הַמְּנוּחָה בַּעֲבוּר טָמְאָה תְּחַבֵּל וְחֶבֶל נִמְרָץ׃   2:10

Mica. 2:10   Arise, and leave, for this is not a resting place;

                              because of it uncleanness, it can be destroyed,

                      and be a grievous destruction.”

לוּ־אִישׁ הֹלֵךְ רוּחַ וָשֶׁקֶר כִּזֵּב אַטִּף לְךָ לַיַּיִן וְלַשֵּׁכָר וְהָיָה מַטִּיף הָעָם הַזֶּה׃   2:11

Mica. 2:11   If a man bringing wind and deception tells a lie,

                              “I will preach to you regarding wine and about strong drink,”

                      then he would become a preacher of this people.

אָסֹף אֶאֱסֹף יַעֲקֹב כֻּלָּךְ קַבֵּץ אֲקַבֵּץ שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל יַחַד אֲשִׂימֶנּוּ כְּצֹאן בָּצְרָה כְּעֵדֶר בְּתֹוךְ   2:12           הַדָּבְרֹו תְּהִימֶנָה מֵאָדָם׃

Mica. 2:12   “I shall surely gather all of you of Jacob;

                               I shall surely assemble the remnant of Israel.

                       I shall set him together as a fold of a flock,

                               as a herd in the midst of its pasture;

                       they shall be more noisy than humankind.”

This sudden shift from sharp criticism and destruction to hope and salvation seems too abrupt.  Why is there no  transition?  These last two verses seem like an afterthought by Micah, or were possibly added much later either by Micah or another writer.

עָלָה הַפֹּרֵץ לִפְנֵיהֶם פָּרְצוּ וַיַּעֲבֹרוּ שַׁעַר וַיֵּצְאוּ בֹו וַיַּעֲבֹר מַלְכָּם לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיהוָה בְּרֹאשָׁם׃   2:13

Mica. 2:13   The breach maker ascends before them;

                                they break through and pass by the gate,

                       and exit through it,

                                and their king passes through before them,

                       and the Lord at their front.

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