Micah 1
16 verses
Micah opens with a cosmic theophany in which the Lord descends from His throne to judge Samaria and Jerusalem for their covenant-breaking idolatry and social injustice. The prophet employs vivid imagery of the Lord's presence melting mountains and valleys, symbolizing the totality of divine judgment upon both the northern and southern kingdoms. Micah catalogues the sins of Israel's leaders—corrupt judges, greedy merchants, and false prophets—who exploit the poor and pervert justice for profit. The fall of Samaria serves as a historical precedent and warning of what awaits Judah if repentance does not occur. This opening chapter establishes the prophet's dual themes of judgment and the possibility of restoration, grounding his message in the Lord's holiness and commitment to covenant righteousness. The chapter demonstrates that no nation, however powerful or privileged, escapes divine scrutiny when it abandons justice and mercy. In redemptive history, Micah's call to repentance precedes the exile, offering a window for national renewal before judgment becomes irreversible.
VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER
1
The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
0 1Open verse page →
2
Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
0 0Open verse page →
3
For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
0 0Open verse page →
4
And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
0 0Open verse page →
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?
0 0Open verse page →
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, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
0 0Open verse page →
7
And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, 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.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
9
For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
0 0Open verse page →
10
Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
12
For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 2Open verse page →
14
Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth–gath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.
0 1Open verse page →
15
Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
No notes on this chapter yet. Be the first to write one!