Micah 3
12 verses · Hebrew with nikud, English alongside
וָאֹמַ֗ר שִׁמְעוּ־נָא֙ רָאשֵׁ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּקְצִינֵ֖י בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הֲל֣וֹא לָכֶ֔ם לָדַ֖עַת אֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃
I said: Listen, you rulers of Jacob, You chiefs of the House of Israel! For you ought to know what is right,
שֹׂ֥נְאֵי ט֖וֹב וְאֹ֣הֲבֵי (רעה) [רָ֑ע] גֹּזְלֵ֤י עוֹרָם֙ מֵֽעֲלֵיהֶ֔ם וּשְׁאֵרָ֖ם מֵעַ֥ל עַצְמוֹתָֽם׃
But you hate good and love evil.
וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר אָכְלוּ֮ שְׁאֵ֣ר עַמִּי֒ וְעוֹרָם֙ מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֣ם הִפְשִׁ֔יטוּ וְאֶת־עַצְמֹֽתֵיהֶ֖ם פִּצֵּ֑חוּ וּפָֽרְשׂוּ֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּסִּ֔יר וּכְבָשָׂ֖ר בְּת֥וֹךְ קַלָּֽחַת׃
You have devoured My people’s flesh; You have flayed the skin off them, And after tearing their skins off them, And their flesh off their bones, And breaking their bones to bits, You have cut it up as into a pot, Like meat in a cauldron.
אָ֚ז יִזְעֲק֣וּ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲנֶ֖ה אוֹתָ֑ם וְיַסְתֵּ֨ר פָּנָ֤יו מֵהֶם֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵרֵ֖עוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃ {פ}
Someday they shall cry out to GOD, But they will not be answered; At that time the divine face will be hidden, In accordance with the wrongs they have done.
כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים הַמַּתְעִ֣ים אֶת־עַמִּ֑י הַנֹּשְׁכִ֤ים בְּשִׁנֵּיהֶם֙ וְקָרְא֣וּ שָׁל֔וֹם וַֽאֲשֶׁר֙ לֹא־יִתֵּ֣ן עַל־פִּיהֶ֔ם וְקִדְּשׁ֥וּ עָלָ֖יו מִלְחָמָֽה׃
Thus said GOD to the prophets Who lead My people astray, Who cry “Peace!” When they have something to chew, But launch a war on those Who fail to fill their mouths:
לָכֵ֞ן לַ֤יְלָה לָכֶם֙ מֵֽחָז֔וֹן וְחָשְׁכָ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם מִקְּסֹ֑ם וּבָ֤אָה הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֔ים וְקָדַ֥ר עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃
Assuredly, It shall be night for you So that you cannot prophesy, And it shall be dark for you So that you cannot divine; The sun shall set on the prophets, And the day shall be darkened for them.
וּבֹ֣שׁוּ הַחֹזִ֗ים וְחָֽפְרוּ֙ הַקֹּ֣סְמִ֔ים וְעָט֥וּ עַל־שָׂפָ֖ם כֻּלָּ֑ם כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין מַעֲנֵ֖ה אֱלֹהִֽים׃
The seers shall be shamed And the diviners confounded; They shall cover their upper lips, Because no response comes from God.
וְאוּלָ֗ם אָנֹכִ֞י מָלֵ֤אתִי כֹ֙חַ֙ אֶת־ר֣וּחַ יְהֹוָ֔ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט וּגְבוּרָ֑ה לְהַגִּ֤יד לְיַֽעֲקֹב֙ פִּשְׁע֔וֹ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חַטָּאתֽוֹ׃ {פ}
But I, I am filled with strength by the spirit of GOD, And with judgment and courage, To declare to Jacob his transgressions And to Israel his sin.
שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א זֹ֗את רָאשֵׁי֙ בֵּ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּקְצִינֵ֖י בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הַֽמְתַעֲבִ֣ים מִשְׁפָּ֔ט וְאֵ֥ת כׇּל־הַיְשָׁרָ֖ה יְעַקֵּֽשׁוּ׃
Hear this, you rulers of the House of Jacob, You chiefs of the House of Israel, Who detest justice And make crooked all that is straight,
בֹּנֶ֥ה צִיּ֖וֹן בְּדָמִ֑ים וִירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם בְּעַוְלָֽה׃
Who build Zion with crime, Jerusalem with iniquity!
רָאשֶׁ֣יהָ ׀ בְּשֹׁ֣חַד יִשְׁפֹּ֗טוּ וְכֹהֲנֶ֙יהָ֙ בִּמְחִ֣יר יוֹר֔וּ וּנְבִיאֶ֖יהָ בְּכֶ֣סֶף יִקְסֹ֑מוּ וְעַל־יְהֹוָה֙ יִשָּׁעֵ֣נוּ לֵאמֹ֔ר הֲל֤וֹא יְהֹוָה֙ בְּקִרְבֵּ֔נוּ לֹֽא־תָב֥וֹא עָלֵ֖ינוּ רָעָֽה׃
Her rulers judge for gifts, Her priests give rulings for a fee, And her prophets divine for pay; Yet they rely upon GOD, saying, “ GOD is in our midst; No calamity shall overtake us.”
לָכֵן֙ בִּגְלַלְכֶ֔ם צִיּ֖וֹן שָׂדֶ֣ה תֵֽחָרֵ֑שׁ וִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עִיִּ֣ין תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְהַ֥ר הַבַּ֖יִת לְבָמ֥וֹת יָֽעַר׃ {פ}
Assuredly, because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins And the Temple Mount a shrine in the woods.
Hebrew text and English translation from Sefaria, under their Creative Commons licence.
These are written by Yaacov, a native Jerusalemite who teaches Hebrew, Yiddish, Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic one-to-one.