Micah 1

Micah 1:3

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

The Lord will, in a terrible sort, manifest his power from heaven; and, as in the height of his fury, coming down from above, will trample upon the loftiest tops of the mountains:

Micah 1:4

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

In such manner, as that the great mountains shall, as it were, melt and dissolve under his feet; and the deep vallies shall be cleft asunder and severed from the hills: the mountains, I say, shall melt like wax; and the vallies shall run from the hills, as waters, that are poured out from a steep place, run down from the place where they are poured. In short, all the whole earth shall be exceedingly moved and affected, with the dreadful presence of God descending to punish the wickednesses of his people.

Micah 1:5

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?

And all these judgments shall be for the idolatries of Israel and Judah: What then, or who, is the author of this great sin of Israel? Is it not the mother city Samaria, whose princes have erected and maintained those golden calves? And who

Micah 1:6

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, &c.

Therefore I will raze and pull down Samaria, by the hands of the Assyrians; and make that high built city as a heap of stones laid together carelessly in the field, or as those hillocks of earth which are cast up for the planting of a vineyard: and I will cause the goodly stones of their stately palaces, to be tumbled down into the valley, &c.

Micah 1:7

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.

And all those costly offerings and presents, that were brought to their idols, as the hire of their spiritual fornication, shall be burnt with fire &c. as they have imagined foolishly, that they have received their wealth, as the reward of their idol-service, which they have borrowed of the heathen; so shall they know, that it shall go back again the same way: for the Assyrians, who shall carry it away, shall impute it to their gods, as a reward of their idolatry.

Micah 1:8

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.

Therefore, since these great evils are coming upon my nation, I, for my part, will spend my time in mourning and bitter lamentation: I will lay down my prophet’s weed and go up and down heavily and forlornly.

Micah 1:9

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

This destruction, by the hand of the Assyrians, is incurable; for it is passed from Samaria, and is come forward to Judah, and is now drawing on towards the very gates of Jerusalem.

Micah 1:10

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

Let no man tell the news of this calamity at Gath, the city of the Philistines, lest they rejoice and triumph in our misery: oh, let no man there bemoan our sorrows; and, ye inhabitants of Aphrah, (a city of Benjamin,) roll yourselves in the dust, for the miserable desolation that is coming upon you.

Micah 1:11

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

Pass ye away into a woeful captivity, O ye inhabitants of the beautiful city of Saphir, pass along in your shame and nakedness: the inhabitants of Zaanan stood upon their guard, and came not forth as yielding to the enemy, upon the sad taking in of Beth-ezel; the enemy shall therefore receive of you, O Zaanites, the full recompence of that long siege, to which ye have put him.

Micah 1:12

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

The inhabitants of Maroth shall be much grieved, for the failing and disappointment of their hopes: they made account to have escaped this misery, but evil came down upon them from the Lord; and shall not stay there, but shall proceed on, till it come to the very gates of Jerusalem.

Micah 1:13

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.

As for you, O ye inhabitants of Lachish, make all possible speed to escape by flight: put your swiftest beasts into your chariots, and drive away hastily; taking the advantage of your remoteness: try if you can thus avoid the judgment, who were the authors of sin to the rest of Judah, next after the revolt of the Ten Tribes to their molten calves. Lachish was the first of the tribe of Judah, that both received and diffused the infection to the daughter of Zion: the idolatries of Israel were first found in thee, O Lachish.

Micah 1:14

Therefore shalt thou gire presents to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.

Therefore shalt thou be fain to give vain presents unto the Philistines, to help thee: thou shalt have recourse to those false and lying succours, which have been ever deceitful to the kings of Judah, and so shall be still unto thee.

Micah 1:15

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

As for thee, O Mareshah, which hast thy name from inheritance, I will bring such an heir to thee, for thy land, as thou shalt never be able to dispossess; even the enemy which shall seize thee for ever: and he, that is the Glory and God of Israel, shall execute his justice upon Judah, even as far as Adullam, the utmost coast thereof.

Micah 1:16

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

Make thee bald, O land of Israel, in token of extreme mourning; and cut off thy hair, in sorrow for thy delicate children, which are slain and captived; yea, enlarge thy baldness, the sign of thy grief, as the eagle, which moults with age, being left without feathers till her renovation: so do thou