The Sacred Bible: The Prophecy of Micah
[Michæas 1]
[Micah 1]
{1:1} Verbum Domini, quod factum est ad Michæam Morasthiten, in diebus Ioathan, Achaz, et Ezechiæ regum Iuda: quod vidit super Samariam, et Ierusalem.
{1:1} The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Moreshethite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw about Samaria and Jerusalem.
{1:2} Audite populi omnes, et attendat terra, et plenitudo eius: et sit Dominus Deus vobis in testem, Dominus de templo sancto suo.
{1:2} All peoples, listen. And may the earth and its fullness pay attention. And may the Lord God be a witness to you, the Lord from his holy temple.
{1:3} Quia ecce Dominus egredietur de loco suo: et descendet, et calcabit super excelsa terræ.
{1:3} For behold, the Lord will go forth from his place. And he will descend, and he will trample over the high places of the earth.
~ The verb ‘calcabit’ implies not merely walking or traveling over the high places of the earth, but tamping them down.
{1:4} Et consumentur montes subtus eum: et valles scindentur sicut cera a facie ignis, et sicut aquæ, quæ decurrunt in præceps.
{1:4} And the mountains will be consumed under him, and the valleys will be torn apart, like wax before the face of fire, and like waters that rush swiftly downward.
{1:5} In scelere Iacob omne istud, et in peccatis domus Israel. quod scelus Iacob? nonne Samaria? et quæ excelsa Iudæ? nonne Ierusalem?
{1:5} All this is for the wickedness of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the wickedness of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the loftiness of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
~ The word ‘excelsa’ has a dual meaning. It can mean height, as in elevation, and it can mean height as in excellence. In this verse, in Latin, it means both. Jerusalem is a city built on a hill. Jerusalem is (and represents) also the excellence of faith in God. The translation uses ‘loftiness’ because this English word also has the same dual meaning.
{1:6} et ponam Samariam quasi acervum lapidum in agro cum plantatur vinea: et detraham in vallem lapides eius, et fundamenta eius revelabo.
{1:6} And I will place Samaria like a pile of stones in the field, when a vineyard is planted. And I will pull down its stones into the valley, and I will reveal her foundations.
{1:7} Et omnia sculptilia eius concidentur, et omnes mercedes eius comburentur igne, et omnia idola eius ponam in perditionem: quia de mercedibus meretricis congregata sunt, et usque ad mercedem meretricis revertentur.
{1:7} And all her graven images will be cut to pieces, and all her rewards will be burned with fire, and I will place all her idols in perdition. For they have been gathered together from the pay of a kept woman, and even to the pay of a kept woman, they will return.
~ The word ‘meretricis’ does not mean ‘prostitute’ but has more of the meaning of a mistress or a kept woman. This distinction is clear in the book of Baruch, where both words are used: {6:10} “Dant autem et ex ipso prostitutis, et meretrices ornant:”
{1:8} Super hoc plangam, et ululabo: vadam spoliatus, et nudus: faciam planctum velut draconum, et luctum quasi struthionum.
{1:8} I will lament and wail about this. I will go out despoiled and naked. I will make a howl like the dragons, and a mourning like the ostriches.
{1:9} Quia desperata est plaga eius, quia venit usque ad Iudam, tetigit portam populi mei usque ad Ierusalem.
{1:9} For her wound has been in despair. For it has come even to Judah. It has touched the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
{1:10} In Geth nolite annunciare, lacrymis ne ploretis, in domo Pulveris pulvere vos conspergite.
{1:10} Do not be willing to announce it in Gath; may you not lament with tears. In the house of Dust, besprinkle yourselves with dust.
{1:11} Et transite vobis habitatio, Pulchra, confusa ignominia: non est egressa quæ habitat in exitu: planctum Domus vicina accipiet ex vobis, quæ stetit sibimet.
{1:11} And cross over to your dwelling place, Beauty, bewildered by disgrace. She did not depart, who dwells at the place of departure. The House nearby, which remained firm by herself, will receive mourning from you.
~ These two verses contain a play on words in Latin: Pulveris (dust) and Pulchra (beauty) are compared, making a link between the two terms. This play on words between Dust and Beauty does not continue in the English. However, ‘besprinkle’ and ‘bewildered’ is used in compensation, so as to maintain the connection between those two verses.
~ There is also an implicit play on words (depart and departure) in the meaning of the text, which is clearer in English than it is in Latin: “She did not depart, who dwells at the place of departure.”
{1:12} Quia infirmata est in bonum, quæ habitat in amaritudinibus: quia descendit malum a Domino in portam Ierusalem.
{1:12} For she has been weakened in goodness, who dwells in bitterness. For disaster has descended from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.
{1:13} Tumultus quadrigæ stuporis habitanti Lachis: principium peccati est filiæ Sion, quia in te inventa sunt scelera Israel.
{1:13} A tumult of four-horse chariots has stupefied the inhabitants of Lachish. The beginning has been sin for the daughter of Zion, because in you have been found the evil deeds of Israel.
{1:14} Propterea dabit emissarios super hereditatem Geth: domus Mendacii in deceptionem regibus Israel.
{1:14} Because of this, she will send emissaries to the inheritance of Gath: the house of Lying in order to deceive the kings of Israel.
{1:15} Adhuc heredem adducam tibi quæ habitas in Maresa: usque ad Odollam veniet gloria Israel.
{1:15} Nevertheless, I will lead an heir to you, who dwell in Mareshah: the glory of Israel will reach all the way to Adullam.
{1:16} Decalvare, et tondere super filios deliciarum tuarum: dilata calvitium tuum sicut aquila: quoniam captivi ducti sunt ex te.
{1:16} Become bald and shaved for your delicate sons. Increase your baldness like the eagle. For they have been carried into captivity from you.
[Michæas 2]
[Micah 2]
{2:1} Væ qui cogitatis inutile, et operamini malum in cubilibus vestris: in luce matutina faciunt illud, quoniam contra Deum est manus eorum.
{2:1} Woe to you who devise useless things and who work evil in your beds. In the morning light, they undertake it, because their hand is against God.
~ Or, ‘who think up harmful things.’
{2:2} Et concupierunt agros, et violenter tulerunt, et rapuerunt domos: et calumniabantur virum, et domum eius, virum, et hereditatem eius.
{2:2} And they have desired fields and have taken them by violence, and they have stolen houses. And they have made false accusations against a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.
~ The phrase ‘rapuerunt domos’ could be translated as ‘they have robbed houses’ or ‘they have stolen houses.’ The first meaning seems more likely, until you consider the context of the first part of this verse, that they have desired land and have taken that land by violence. Houses are located on land; valuable land often has houses on it. They have not merely robbed the contents of houses, they have stolen both land and houses.
{2:3} Idcirco hæc dicit Dominus: Ecce ego cogito super familiam istam malum: unde non auferetis colla vestra, et non ambulabitis superbi, quoniam tempus pessimum est.
{2:3} For this reason, thus says the Lord: Behold, I devise an evil against this family, from which you will not steal away your necks. And you will not walk in arrogance, because this is a most wicked time.
{2:4} In die illa sumetur super vos parabola, et cantabitur canticum cum suavitate, dicentium: Depopulatione vastati sumus: pars populi mei commutata est: quomodo recedet a me, cum revertatur, qui regiones nostras dividat?
{2:4} In that day, a parable will be taken up about you, and a song will be sung with sweetness, saying: “We have been devastated by depopulation.” The fate of my people has been altered. How can he withdraw from me, when he might be turned back, he who might tear apart our country?
~ The word ‘depopulatione’ usually is translated as plundering, pillaging, sacking, marauding, ravaging, or laying waste. To the English reader, it would also seem to mean ‘depopulation,’ and this is a correct meaning of the word because it refers to plundering, pillaging, sacking, etc. that is so severe that the land is depopulated.
~ Notice that they sing sweetly about a time of terrible suffering that results in a large decrease in population. They are singing sweetly about this disaster because it is the disaster of the tribulation, which will have ended by the time of that song.
{2:5} Propter hoc non erit tibi mittens funiculum sortis in cœtu Domini.
{2:5} Because of this, there will be for you no casting of the cord of fate in the assembly of the Lord.
{2:6} Ne loquamini loquentes: Non stillabit super istos, non comprehendet confusio.
{2:6} Do not speak by saying, “It will not drop on these ones; shame will not embrace them.”
~ Or, ‘confusion will not overtake them.’ This refers to the casting of the string (or cord) of fate (or lots), a practice analogous to the modern ‘drawing of straws’ or ‘rock, paper, scissors.’
{2:7} Dicit domus Iacob: Numquid abbreviatus est Spiritus Domini, aut tales sunt cogitationes eius? Nonne verba mea bona sunt cum eo, qui recte graditur?
{2:7} The house of Jacob says, “Has the Spirit of the Lord been weakened, or are such things his thoughts?” Are not my words good for him who walks uprightly?
{2:8} Et econtrario populus meus in adversarium consurrexit: desuper tunica pallium sustulistis: et eos, qui transibant simpliciter, convertistis in bellum.
{2:8} But, to the contrary, my people have risen up in opposition. You have lifted the cover from the undergarment, and those who passed by harmlessly, you have converted into war.
~ Since ‘tunica’ is contrasted with ‘pallium,’ one refers to the undergarment and the other to the outer garment. The translation ‘converted into war’ is a phrasing intended to capture both the metaphorical and literal meanings.
{2:9} Mulieres populi mei eiecistis de domo deliciarum suarum: a parvulis earum tulistis laudem meam in perpetuum.
{2:9} You have evicted the women among my people from their delicate houses. You have taken my praise forever from their little ones.
{2:10} Surgite, et ite, quia non habetis hic requiem: propter immunditiam eius corrumpetur putredine pessima.
{2:10} Rise and depart, for there is no relief for you here. Because of its uncleanness, it will be corrupted with a most wicked decay.
{2:11} Utinam non essem vir habens spiritum, et mendacium potius loquerer: stillabo tibi in vinum, et in ebrietatem: et erit super quem stillatur populus iste.
{2:11} I wish that I were not a man who has breath, and that I rather spoke a lie. I will drop it down to you in wine and in drunkenness. And it will be this people on whom it will rain down.
{2:12} Congregatione congregabo Iacob totum te: in unum conducam reliquias Israel, pariter ponam illum quasi gregem in ovili, quasi pecus in medio caularum, tumultuabuntur a multitudine hominum.
{2:12} I will gather together in a congregation all of you, Jacob. I will lead together as one, the remnant of Israel. I will set them together like a flock in the fold, like a sheep in the midst of the sheep pen. They will cause a tumult before the multitude of men.
{2:13} Ascendet enim pandens iter ante eos: divident, et transibunt portam, et ingredientur per eam: et transibit rex eorum coram eis, et Dominus in capite eorum.
{2:13} For he will ascend, opening the way before them. They will separate, and they will cross the gate and enter through it. And their king will pass by, before their very eyes, and the Lord will be at their head.
[Michæas 3]
[Micah 3]
{3:1} Et dixi: Audite princeps Iacob, et duces domus Israel: Numquid non vestrum est scire iudicium,
{3:1} And I said: Listen, leaders of Jacob and chiefs of the house of Israel. Does it not belong to you to know judgment,
{3:2} qui odio habetis bonum, et diligitis malum: qui violenter tollitis pelles eorum desuper eis, et carnem eorum desuper ossibus eorum?
{3:2} you who hold hatred for good, and love evil, who violently steal their skins from over them and their flesh from over their bones?
{3:3} Qui comederunt carnem populi mei, et pellem eorum desuper excoriaverunt: et ossa eorum confregerunt, et conciderunt sicut in lebete, et quasi carnem in medio ollæ.
{3:3} They have devoured the flesh of my people, and have stripped their skin from over them, and they have shattered and chopped their bones, as if for the kettle, and like flesh in the middle of the pot.
{3:4} Tunc clamabunt ad Dominum, et non exaudiet eos: et abscondet faciem suam ab eis in tempore illo, sicut nequiter egerunt in adinventionibus suis.
{3:4} Then they will cry out to the Lord, and he will not heed them. And he will hide his face from them in that time, just as they have acted wickedly with their inventions.
{3:5} Hæc dicit Dominus super prophetas, qui seducunt populum meum: qui mordent dentibus suis, et prædicant pacem: et si quis non dederit in ore eorum quippiam, sanctificant super eum prælium.
{3:5} Thus says the Lord about the prophets who seduce my people: They bite with their teeth and preach peace, and if anyone does not give something to their mouth, they sanctify a battle against him.
{3:6} Propterea nox vobis pro visione erit, et tenebræ vobis pro divinatione: et occumbet sol super prophetas, et obtenebrabitur super eos dies.
{3:6} Because of this, night will be yours for vision, and darkness yours for divination, and the sun will meet with death over the prophets, and the day will be darkened over them.
~ The word ‘occumbet’ means to meet with death or to meet ones death. Translators should not soften or weaken the sharp rebukes often found in Scripture. Of course, this phrase is metaphorical, the sun does not literally die. But it is a sharply phrased correction of false prophets and Pharisee-like spiritual leaders. It also refers to the three days of darkness (which will occur in either late 2039 or early 2040).
{3:7} Et confundentur qui vident visiones, et confundentur divini: et operient omnes vultos suos, quia non est responsum Dei.
{3:7} And those who see visions will be confounded, and the diviners will be confounded. And they will all cover their faces, because there is no response from God.
{3:8} Verumtamen ego repletus sum fortitudine Spiritus Domini, iudicio, et virtute: ut annunciem Iacob scelus suum, et Israel peccatum suum.
{3:8} Nevertheless, truly I have been filled with the strength of the Spirit of the Lord, with judgment and virtue, in order to announce to Jacob his wickedness and to Israel his sin.
{3:9} Audite hoc principes domus Iacob, et iudices domus Israel: qui abominamini iudicium, et omnia recta pervertitis.
{3:9} Hear this, leaders of the house of Jacob and judges of the house of Israel, you who abominate judgment and who pervert all that is right.
{3:10} Qui ædificatis Sion in sanguinibus, et Ierusalem in iniquitate.
{3:10} You build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
{3:11} Principes eius in muneribus iudicabant, et sacerdotes eius in mercede docebant, et prophetæ eius in pecunia divinabant: et super Dominum requiescebant, dicentes: Numquid non Dominus in medio nostrum? non venient super nos mala.
{3:11} Her leaders have judged for tributes, and her priests have taught for payment, and her prophets divined for money. And they leaned upon the Lord, saying: “Is not the Lord in our midst? No disaster will overcome us.”
{3:12} Propter hoc, causa vestri, Sion quasi ager arabitur, et Ierusalem quasi acervus lapidum erit, et mons templi in excelsa silvarum.
{3:12} For this reason, because of you, Zion will be plowed under like a field, and Jerusalem will become like a pile of stones, and the mountain of the temple like the high places of the forests.
[Michæas 4]
[Micah 4]
{4:1} Et erit: In novissimo dierum erit mons domus Domini præparatus in vertice montium, et sublimis super colles: et fluent ad eum populi.
{4:1} And this shall be: In the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be prepared at the top of the mountains and high above the hills. And the people will flow to it.
~ Interestingly, the expression ‘novissimo dierum’ can mean ‘the last days,’ or it can mean ‘the newest days.’ Thus, ‘the last days’ are also the beginning of a new time period.
{4:2} Et properabunt gentes multæ, et dicent: Venite, ascendamus ad montem Domini, et ad domum Dei Iacob: et docebit nos de viis suis, et ibimus in semitis eius: quia de Sion egredietur lex, et verbum Domini de Ierusalem.
{4:2} And many nations will hurry, and will say: “Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
{4:3} Et iudicabit inter populos multos, et corripiet gentes fortes usque in longinquum: et concident gladios suos in vomeres, et hastas suas in ligones: non sumet gens adversus gentem gladium: et non discent ultra belligerare.
{4:3} And he will judge among the many peoples, and he will correct strong nations, even from afar. And they will cut up their swords into plows, and their spears into hoes. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will no longer learn to wage war.
{4:4} Et sedebit vir subtus vitem suam, et subtus ficum suam, et non erit qui deterreat: quia os Domini exercituum locutum est.
{4:4} And a man will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one to fear, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
~ The phrase ‘et non erit qui deterreat’ literally says ‘and there will not be (anyone) who frightens (them).’ The words in parentheses are implied. The phrasing in Latin is more terse than that, so a better phrasing in English is one that is also terse, but less literal: ‘and there will be no one to fear.’
{4:5} Quia omnes populi ambulabunt unusquisque in nomine Dei sui: nos autem ambulabimus in nomine Domini Dei nostri in æternum et ultra.
{4:5} For all people will walk, each one in the name of his god. But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, forever and ever.
{4:6} In die illa, dicit Dominus, congregabo claudicantem: et eam, quam eieceram, colligam: et quam afflixeram:
{4:6} In that day, says the Lord, I will gather together the lame. And I will recover her whom I had rejected, and her whom I had afflicted.
{4:7} Et ponam claudicantem in reliquias: et eam, quæ laboraverat, in gentem robustam: et regnabit Dominus super eos in monte Sion, ex hoc nunc et usque in æternum.
{4:7} And I will place the lame within the remnant, and she who had been in distress, within a healthy people. And the Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion, from the present time and even unto eternity.
{4:8} Et tu turris gregis nebulosa filiæ Sion usque ad te veniet: et veniet potestas prima, regnum filiæ Ierusalem.
{4:8} And you, cloudy tower of the flock of the daughter of Zion, even to you it will come. And the first power will arrive, the kingdom to the daughter of Jerusalem.
{4:9} Nunc quare mœrore contraheris? numquid rex non est tibi, aut consiliarius tuus periit, quia comprehendit te dolor sicut parturientem?
{4:9} Now, why have you come together in grief? Is there not a king in you, or has your counselor gone away? For sorrow has overtaken you, like the pain of giving birth.
{4:10} Dole, et satage filia Sion quasi parturiens: quia nunc egredieris de civitate, et habitabis in regione, et venies usque ad Babylonem, ibi liberaberis: ibi redimet te Dominus de manu inimicorum tuorum.
{4:10} Be grieved and overwhelmed, daughter of Zion, like a woman giving birth. For now you must depart from the city and dwell in the countryside, and you will approach even to Babylon. There you will be delivered. There the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your adversaries.
{4:11} Et nunc congregatæ sunt super te gentes multæ, quæ dicunt: Lapidetur: et aspiciat in Sion oculus noster.
{4:11} And now many peoples have been gathered together against you, and they say, “Let her be stoned and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.”
{4:12} Ipsi autem non cognoverunt cogitationes Domini, et non intellexerunt consilium eius: quia congregavit eos quasi fœnum areæ.
{4:12} But they have not known the thoughts of the Lord, and they have not understood his counsel. For he has gathered them together like hay on a threshing floor.
{4:13} Surge, et tritura filia Sion: quia cornu tuum ponam ferreum, et ungulas tuas ponam æreas: et comminues populos multos, et interficies Domino rapinas eorum, et fortitudinem eorum Domino universæ terræ.
{4:13} Rise and thresh, daughter of Zion. For I will set your horn like iron, and I will set your hoofs like brass. And you will shatter many peoples, and you will immolate their spoils for the Lord, and their strength for the Lord of the whole earth.
[Michæas 5]
[Micah 5]
{5:1} Nunc vastaberis filia latronis: obsidionem posuerunt super nos, in virga percutient maxillam iudicis Israel.
{5:1} Now you will be devastated, you daughter of a robber. They have placed a blockade against us, with a rod they will strike the jaw of the judge of Israel.
{5:2} ET TU BETHLEHEM Ephrata parvulus es in millibus Iuda: ex te mihi egredietur qui sit dominator in Israel, et egressus eius ab initio, a diebus æternitatis.
{5:2} And you, Bethlehem Ephrata, are a little one among the thousands of Judah. From you will go forth he who shall be the ruler in Israel, and his landing place has been set from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
~ The word ‘egressus’ can refer to a place of departure or the act of going forth, but it can also mean a landing place, or a place of arrival or departure. In this case, the one who goes forth to rule Israel is Christ and His landing place on earth is either Bethlehem, or, from another point of view, the womb of the Virgin Mary. Christ first arrives on earth as the Messiah at His Incarnation within the Virgin Mary. And he later departs from the womb and from her side in order to effect our salvation.
{5:3} Propter hoc dabit eos usque ad tempus, in quo parturiens pariet: et reliquiæ fratrum eius convertentur ad filios Israel.
{5:3} Because of this, he will provide for them, even until the time in which she who bears him gives birth. And the remnant of his brothers will be converted to the sons of Israel.
{5:4} Et stabit, et pascet in fortitudine Domini, in sublimitate nominis Domini Dei sui: et convertentur, quia nunc magnificabitur usque ad terminos terræ.
{5:4} And he will stand firm and feed on the strength of the Lord, according to the sublime name of the Lord his God. And they will be converted, for now he will be magnified, even to the ends of the earth.
{5:5} Et erit iste pax: cum venerit Assyrius in terram nostram, et quando calcaverit domibus nostris: et suscitabimus super eum septem pastores, et octo primates homines:
{5:5} And this man will be our peace, when the Assyrian will come into our land, and when he will trample on our houses; and we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight principal men.
{5:6} Et pascent terram Assur in gladio, et terram Nemrod in lanceis eius: et liberabit ab Assur cum venerit in terram nostram, et cum calcaverit in finibus nostris.
{5:6} And they will graze on the land of Assur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with its spears; and he will free us from Assur, when he will come into our land, and when he will trample our borders.
~ In another context, ‘iste’ might merely be translated as ‘this,’ as in: ‘this will be our peace.’ But the previous verse of Micah 5:2 is quoted in Matthew 2:6 as referring to Jesus Christ. So the translation in context is ‘this man will be our peace,’ which also follows the Challoner Douay-Rheims text.
~ Who is Assur or the Assyrian? It is the Antichrist, who will be from Assyria. Also, the name Assur refers to an ancient false god, which makes for a fitting reference to the Antichrist, who claims to be a god. The Antichrist will ‘come into our land’ and ‘trample our borders.’
{5:7} Et erunt reliquiæ Iacob in medio populorum multorum quasi ros a Domino, et quasi stillæ super herbam, quæ non exspectat virum, et non præstolatur filios hominum.
{5:7} And there will be a remnant of Jacob in the midst of many peoples, like a dew from the Lord and like drops upon the grass, which awaits no man and does not stand before the sons of men.
{5:8} Et erunt reliquiæ Iacob in Gentibus in medio populorum multorum, quasi leo in iumentis silvarum, et quasi catulus leonis in gregibus pecorum: qui cum transierit, et conculcaverit, et ceperit, non est qui eruat.
{5:8} And there will be a remnant of Jacob within the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forests, and like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, when he will pass through and trample down and seize, there is none who can rescue.
{5:9} Exaltabitur manus tua super hostes tuos, et omnes inimici tui interibunt.
{5:9} Your hand will be exalted over your enemies, and all your adversaries will pass away.
{5:10} Et erit in die illa, dicit Dominus: Auferam equos tuos de medio tui, et disperdam quadrigas tuas.
{5:10} And it will be in that day, says the Lord: I will take away your horses from your midst, and I will utterly ruin your four-horse chariots.
~ A ‘quadrigas’ is a chariot with four horses, i.e. a powerful vehicle of ancient times. A modern analogy to this vehicle would be either a car or other motor vehicle (with four wheels instead of four horses). Another analogy could be made to vehicles used in war, since chariots were used in war as well as in peace.
{5:11} Et perdam civitates terræ tuæ, et destruam omnes munitiones tuas, et auferam maleficia de manu tua, et divinationes non erunt in te.
{5:11} And I will destroy the cities of your land, and I will pull down all your fortifications, and I will take away evil-doing from your hand, and there will be no divinations among you.
{5:12} Et perire faciam sculptilia tua, et statuas tuas de medio tui: et non adorabis ultra opera manuum tuarum.
{5:12} And I will cause your graven images to perish, and your statues, from your midst. And you will no longer adore the works of your hands.
{5:13} Et evellam lucos tuos de medio tui: et conteram civitates tuas.
{5:13} And I will root out your sacred groves from your midst, and I will crush your cities.
{5:14} Et faciam in furore et in indignatione ultionem in omnibus gentibus, quæ non audierunt.
{5:14} And I will exact vengeance, in fury and in indignation, among all the nations which have not listened.
[Michæas 6]
[Micah 6]
{6:1} Audite quæ Dominus loquitur: Surge, contende iudicio adversum montes, et audiant colles vocem tuam.
{6:1} Listen to what the Lord says: Rise, contend in judgment against the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
{6:2} Audiant montes iudicium Domini, et fortia fundamenta terræ: quia iudicium Domini cum populo suo, et cum Israel diiudicabitur.
{6:2} Let the mountains listen to the judgment of the Lord, and the strong foundations of the earth. For the judgment of the Lord is with his people, and he will enter into judgment with Israel.
{6:3} Popule meus quid feci tibi? aut quid molestus fui tibi? responde mihi.
{6:3} My people, what have I done to you, or how have I assailed you? Respond to me.
{6:4} Quia eduxi te de Terra Ægypti, et de domo servientium liberavi te: et misi ante faciem tuam Moysen, et Aaron, et Mariam.
{6:4} For I led you out of the land of Egypt, and I freed you from the house of servitude, and I sent before your face Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam.
~ ‘The house of servitude’ could also be translated as ‘the house of slavery.’
~ In the Latin, this verse usually ends with a question mark, not because the assertions of the verse are in doubt, but because it is a continuation of the previous verse’s question. A question mark is not needed at the end of this verse.
{6:5} Popule meus memento quæso quid cogitaverit Balach rex Moab, et quid responderit ei Balaam filius Beor, de Setim usque ad Galgalam, ut cognosceres iustitias Domini.
{6:5} My people, remember, I ask you, what Balak the king of Moab planned, and how Balaam the son of Beor responded to him, from Shittim even to Gilgal, so that you may know the justice of the Lord.
{6:6} Quid dignum offeram Domino? curvabo genu Deo excelso? numquid offeram ei holocautomata, et vitulos anniculos?
{6:6} What worthy thing might I offer to the Lord, as I bend the knee before God on high? How could I offer holocausts to him, and one year-old calves?
{6:7} Numquid placari potest Dominus in millibus arietum, aut in multis millibus hircorum pinguium? numquid dabo primogenitum meum pro scelere meo fructum ventris mei pro peccato animæ meæ?
{6:7} Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with many thousands of fat he-goats? How could I give up my firstborn because of my evil deed, the fruit of my womb because of the sin of my soul?
~ Or, ‘Shall I give my first born for my wickedness, the fruit of my womb for the sin of my soul?’
{6:8} Indicabo tibi o homo quid sit bonum, et quid Dominus requirat a te: Utique facere iudicium, et diligere misericordiam, et sollicitum ambulare cum Deo tuo.
{6:8} I will reveal to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires from you, and how to act with judgment, and to love mercy, and to walk carefully with your God.
{6:9} Vox Domini ad civitatem clamat, et salus erit timentibus nomen tuum: Audite tribus, et quis approbabit illud?
{6:9} The voice of the Lord cries out to the city, “Listen, you tribes,” and who will confirm it? And salvation will be for those who fear your name.
~ Or, ‘safe will be those fearing your name.’
{6:10} Adhuc ignis in domo impii thesauri iniquitatis, et mensura minor iræ plena.
{6:10} Nevertheless, there is a fire in the house of the impious, the treasury of iniquity, and a small measure, filled with wrath.
{6:11} Numquid iustificabo stateram impiam, et saccelli pondera dolosa?
{6:11} Shall I justify unfaithful balances, and the deceitful weighing of a small bag?
{6:12} In quibus divites eius repleti sunt iniquitate, et habitantes in ea loquebantur mendacium, et lingua eorum fraudulenta in ore eorum.
{6:12} By this, her wealthy have been filled with iniquity, and her inhabitants have spoken lies, and their tongue was deceitful in their mouth.
{6:13} Et ego ergo cœpi percutere te perditione super peccatis tuis.
{6:13} And I, therefore, began to strike you with perdition because of your sins.
{6:14} Tu comedes, et non saturaberis: et humiliatio tua in medio tui: et apprehendes, et non salvabis: et quos salvaveris, in gladium dabo.
{6:14} You will consume and not be satisfied, and your humiliation will be in your midst. And you will take hold, and not save, and those whom you will save, I will deliver to the sword.
{6:15} Tu seminabis, et non metes: tu calcabis olivam, et non ungeris oleo: et mustum, et non bibes vinum.
{6:15} You will sow, and not reap. You will tread the olives, and not be anointed with oil, and crush the grapes, and not drink the wine.
~ The word ‘mustum’ refers to partially fermented wine, but in this context it refers to grapes that have partially completed the process of making wine, i.e. grapes that have been crushed.
{6:16} Et custodisti præcepta Amri, et omne opus domus Achab: et ambulasti in voluntatibus eorum, ut darem te in perditionem, et habitantes in ea in sibilum et opprobrium populi mei portabitis.
{6:16} For you have kept the precepts of Omri, and all the works of the house of Ahab. And you have walked according their wills, so that I should give you over to perdition and its hissing inhabitants, and you would carry the disgrace of my people.
~ The word ‘perditionem’ here refers to Hell, with its hissing inhabitants, not merely to destruction or ruin.
[Michæas 7]
[Micah 7]
{7:1} Væ mihi, quia factus sum sicut qui colligit in autumno racemos vindemiæ: non est botrus ad comedendum, præcoquas ficus desideravit anima mea.
{7:1} Woe to me, for I have become just like one who gleans the clusters of the vintage in autumn. There is no cluster of grapes to consume; my soul desired figs out of season.
~ The word ‘præcoquas’ refers to either prematurely ripened figs, or figs more generally out of season.
{7:2} Periit sanctus de terra, et rectus in hominibus non est: omnes in sanguine insidiantur, vir fratrem suum ad mortem venatur.
{7:2} The holy ones pass away from the land, and there is no one righteous among men. All wait in ambush for blood; a man hunts his brother to death.
{7:3} Malum manuum suarum dicunt bonum: princeps postulat, et iudex in reddendo est: et magnus locutus est desiderium animæ suæ, et conturbaverunt eam.
{7:3} The evil of their hands, they call good. The leader is demanding, and the judge is yielding, and the great is speaking the desire of his soul, and they have confused it.
{7:4} Qui optimus in eis est, quasi paliurus: et qui rectus, quasi spina de sepe. Dies speculationis tuæ, visitatio tua venit: nunc erit vastitas eorum.
{7:4} Whoever is best among them is like a thorny plant, and he who is righteous is like a thorny hedge. The day of your inspection, your visitation, arrives. Now will be their ruination.
~ The best among them (not the best overall, but the best within their own group) is like a thorny plant to them, but the righteous (who are outside their group) are like a thorny hedge (i.e. much more difficult to get around.
{7:5} Nolite credere amico: et nolite confidere in duce: ab ea, quæ dormit in sinu tuo, custodi claustra oris tui.
{7:5} Do not be willing to believe a friend. And do not be willing to confide in a commander. From her, who sleeps in your bosom, keep the doors of your mouth closed.
{7:6} Quia filius contumeliam facit patri, et filia consurgit adversus matrem suam, nurus adversus socrum suam: et inimici hominis domestici eius.
{7:6} For the son acts with contempt for the father, and the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies are those of his own household.
~ The word ‘inimici’ indicates a personal enemy; the word ‘hostis’ indicates an enemy in war or an enemy or a nation.
{7:7} Ego autem ad Dominum aspiciam, exspectabo Deum salvatorem meum: audiet me Deus meus.
{7:7} But I will look towards the Lord. I will wait for God, my Savior. My God will hear me.
{7:8} Ne læteris inimica mea super me, quia cecidi: consurgam, cum sedero in tenebris, Dominus lux mea est.
{7:8} You, my enemy, should not rejoice over me because I have fallen. I will rise up, when I sit in darkness. The Lord is my light.
{7:9} Iram Domini portabo, quoniam peccavi ei, donec causam meam iudicet, et faciat iudicium meum: educet me in lucem, videbo iustitiam eius.
{7:9} I will carry the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he may judge my case and execute judgment for me. He will lead me into the light. I will behold his justice.
{7:10} Et aspiciet inimica mea, et operietur confusione, quæ dicit ad me: Ubi est Dominus Deus tuus? Oculi mei videbunt in eam: nunc erit in conculcationem ut lutum platearum.
{7:10} And my enemy will look, and she will be covered with confusion, she who says to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look upon her. Now she will be trampled underfoot like the mud of the streets.
{7:11} Dies, ut ædificentur maceriæ tuæ: in die illa longe fiet lex.
{7:11} The day that your walls will be rebuilt, in that day the law will be far away.
{7:12} In die illa et usque ad te veniet de Assur, et usque ad civitates munitas: et a civitatibus munitis usque ad flumen, et ad mare de mari, et ad montem de monte.
{7:12} In that day also, they will come towards you even from Assur, and even to the fortified cities, and from the fortified cities even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
~ The word ‘Assur’ refers to an ancient Assyrian false god. This word is also used to refer, disdainfully, to Assyria, the land of the false god Assur. On another level, passages about ‘the Assyrian’ or ‘Assur’ sometimes refer to the Antichrist, who will be from the region of Assyria, and who is a false god.
{7:13} Et terra erit in desolationem propter habitatores suos, et propter fructum cogitationum eorum.
{7:13} And the land will be in desolation, because of its inhabitants and because of the fruit of their intentions.
~ This is a reference to the abomination of desolation, devised by the inhabitants of the land (the unfaithful), and used by Assur, the Antichrist, to harm the Church.
{7:14} Pasce populum tuum in virga tua, gregem hereditatis tuæ habitantes solos in saltu, in medio Carmeli: pascentur Basan et Galaad iuxta dies antiquos.
{7:14} With your rod, pasture your people, the flock of your inheritance, living alone in the narrow forest, in the midst of Carmel. They will graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the ancient days.
{7:15} Secundum dies egressionis tuæ de Terra Ægypti ostendam ei mirabilia.
{7:15} As in the days of your departure from the land of Egypt, I will reveal miracles to him.
{7:16} Videbunt gentes, et confundentur super omni fortitudine sua: ponent manum super os, aures eorum surdæ erunt.
{7:16} The nations will look, and they will be confounded at the strength of them all. They will place hand over mouth; their ears will be deaf.
~ The nations look at the suffering of the Church and the Church’s triumph, and the nations are amazed and confounded at all the strength that Christians, even in the midst of great suffering. The phrase ‘fortitudine sua’ refers not to ‘gentes,’ but to the people of God.
{7:17} Lingent pulverem sicut serpentes, velut reptilia terræ perturbabuntur in ædibus suis: Dominum Deum nostrum formidabunt, et timebunt te.
{7:17} They will lick the dust like serpents, and, like the creeping things of the earth, they will be disturbed in their houses. They will dread the Lord our God, and they will fear you.
{7:18} Quis Deus similis tui, qui aufers iniquitatem, et transis peccatum reliquiarum hereditatis tuæ? non immittet ultra furorem suum, quoniam volens misericordiam est.
{7:18} What God is like you, who takes away iniquity and passes over the sin of the remnant of your inheritance? No longer will he send forth his fury, because he is willing to be merciful.
{7:19} Revertetur, et miserebitur nostri: deponet iniquitates nostras, et proiiciet in profundum maris omnia peccata nostra.
{7:19} He will turn back and have mercy on us. He will put away our iniquities, and he will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
{7:20} Dabis veritatem Iacob, misericordiam Abraham: quæ iurasti patribus nostris a diebus antiquis.
{7:20} You will give the truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which you swore to our fathers from the ancient days.
The Sacred Bible: The Prophecy of Micah