1 THE word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

2 Hear, all you people; hearken, O earth and all that is in it; and let the LORD God be a witness among you, even the LORD from his holy temple.

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

4 And the mountains shall melt under him, and the valleys shall be rent asunder like wax before the fire, and like waters that run down a steep place.

5 All this will happen because of the wickedness of Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the wickedness of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the sin of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?

6 Therefore I will make Samaria as a ploughed field and a place for the planting of a vineyard; and I will pile her stones into a heap, and I will uncover the foundation thereof.

7 And all her graven images shall be broken to pieces and all her idols shall be burned with fire and all her shrines of worship I will lay desolate; for they were gathered of the hire of a harlot, and they shall return to the hire of a harlot.

8 Therefore I will mourn and howl, and walk bare footed and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackal and mourning like the owl.

9 For her wound is very painful; and disaster has reached Judah; it has come to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

10 Rejoice not in Gath, weep not at all; in the house of Aphrah roll yourselves in the dust.

11 Pass away, O you beautiful inhabitant; you came out naked and you are not shamed, O you inhabitant of Zanan; your wound will be like that of Beth-aozel.

12 For the rebellious inhabitant is sick of waiting for good; for disaster is come down from the LORD to the gate of Jerusalem.

13 You have harnessed horses to the chariots, O you inhabitants of Lachish; you were the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.

14 Therefore you shall abandon the possessions of Gath; the shrines of falsehood have become a lie to the kings of Israel.

15 Yet will I bring an heir against you, O inhabitant of Mareshah; he shall exalt the glory of Israel for ever.

16 Make yourself bald, pull out your hair, for your delicate children; enlarge your baldness as the eagle; for they are carried into captivity from you.