וָאֹמַר שִׁמְעוּ־נָא רָאשֵׁי יַעֲקֹב וּקְצִינֵי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲלֹוא לָכֶם לָדַעַת אֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּט׃   3:1

Mica. 3:1   And I say, “Now listen,

                            heads of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel!

                     Is it not for you to know justice?”

שֹׂנְאֵי טֹוב וְאֹהֲבֵי [כ= רָעָה] [ק= רָע] גֹּזְלֵי עֹורָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וּשְׁאֵרָם מֵעַל עַצְמֹותָם׃  3:2

Mica. 3:2   Haters of good and lovers of evil,

                             robbers of their skin from off of them

                    and their flesh from their bones!

וַאֲשֶׁר אָכְלוּ שְׁאֵר עַמִּי וְעֹורָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם הִפְשִׁיטוּ וְאֶת־עַצְמֹתֵיהֶם פִּצֵּחוּ וּפָרְשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּסִּיר   3:3           וּכְבָשָׂר בְּתֹוךְ קַלָּחַת׃

Mica. 3:3   And who eat the flesh of my people,

                             and strip their skin from off of them,

                    and their bones break and stir about,

                             as though in a pot or as flesh in the midst of a cauldron!

אָז יִזְעֲקוּ אֶל־יְהוָה וְלֹא יַעֲנֶה אֹותָם וְיַסְתֵּר פָּנָיו מֵהֶם בָּעֵת הַהִיא כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵרֵעוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם׃   3:4

Mica. 3:4   Then they shall cry out to the Lord,

                             and He will not answer them,

                    and He will conceal His countenance from them at that time,

                              in accordance with the evil their deeds wrought.

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים הַמַּתְעִים אֶת־עַמִּי הַנֹּשְׁכִים בְּשִׁנֵּיהֶם וְקָרְאוּ שָׁלֹום וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִתֵּן   3:5             עַל־פִּיהֶם וְקִדְּשׁוּ עָלָיו מִלְחָמָה׃

Mica. 3:5   Thus says the Lord about the prophets causing my people to stray,

                              biting with their teeth as they call, “Peace,”

                    but which He would not have put on their lips,

                              as they sanctify war against Him:

לָכֵן לַיְלָה לָכֶם מֵחָזֹון וְחָשְׁכָה לָכֶם מִקְּסֹם וּבָאָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים וְקָדַר עֲלֵיהֶם הַיֹּום׃   3:6

Mica. 3:6   “Therefore it shall be night for you without vision,

                              and it shall be dim for you, without divination;

                    although the sun will come upon the prophets,

                              yet the day shall be dark about them.”

וּבֹשׁוּ הַחֹזִים וְחָפְרוּ הַקֹּסְמִים וְעָטוּ עַל־שָׂפָם כֻּלָּם כִּי אֵין מַעֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים׃   3:7

Mica. 3:7   And the seers shall be shamed

                              and the diviners confounded,

                     that all of them will cover over the mustache,

                              when there is no response of God.

Other translators have in this verse the words, upper lip instead of mustache.  Mustache is the right translation.  The Hebrew word for it has only this one translation.  See Ezek. 24:17.

וְאוּלָם אָנֹכִי מָלֵאתִי כֹחַ אֶת־רוּחַ יְהוָה וּמִשְׁפָּט וּגְבוּרָה לְהַגִּיד לְיַעֲקֹב פִּשְׁעֹו וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל חַטָּאתֹו׃   3:8

Mica. 3:8   But indeed I am filled with the power of the spirit of the Lord,

                              with justice and might,

                     to declare to Jacob his transgression,

                               and to Israel his sin.

שִׁמְעוּ־נָא זֹאת רָאשֵׁי בֵּית יַעֲקֹב וּקְצִינֵי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמֲתַעֲבִים מִשְׁפָּט וְאֵת כָּל־הַיְשָׁרָה יְעַקֵּשׁוּ׃   3:9

Mica. 3:9   Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob

                               and leaders of the house of Israel,

                    abhorrers of justice who would pervert every right thing,

בֹּנֶה צִיֹּון בְּדָמִים וִירוּשָׁלִַם בְּעַוְלָה׃   3:10

Mica. 3:10   building up Zion with blood

                               and Jerusalem with violent injustice!

רָאשֶׁיהָ בְּשֹׁחַד יִשְׁפֹּטוּ וְכֹהֲנֶיהָ בִּמְחִיר יֹורוּ וּנְבִיאֶיהָ בְּכֶסֶף יִקְסֹמוּ וְעַל־יְהוָה יִשָּׁעֵנוּ לֵאמֹר הֲלֹוא   3:11   יְהוָה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ לֹא־תָבֹוא עָלֵינוּ רָעָה׃

Mica. 3:11   Her heads would judge by bribes,

                               and her priests instruct according to the price,

                       and her prophets divine for money;

                               yet they would lean upon the Lord, saying,

                       “Is not the Lord in our midst?

                               No evil will come upon us.”

לָכֵן בִּגְלַלְכֶם צִיֹּון שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ וִירוּשָׁלִַם עִיִּין תִּהְיֶה וְהַר הַבַּיִת לְבָמֹות יָעַר׃   3:12

Mica. 3:12   Therefore on your account Zion shall be plowed land,

                               and Jerusalem shall become ruins,

                       and the mount of the house shall be for heights of a forest.

No happy ending for this chapter!

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