Judgment to Come (Isaiah 7:17–25)
1 UST These are the messages that Yahweh gave to Micah, who was from{ the town of} Moresheth{ in Judah}. Yahweh gave these messages to Micah during the time when Jotham,{ then} Ahaz, and{ then} Hezekiah ruled as kings of Judah. These are messages about what Yahweh showed Micah would happen to Samaria and to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: This is the word of the LORD that came to Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem:
2 UST Hear this, all you people everywhere on the earth! The Lord Yahweh is about to testify against you from the holy place where he rules{ in heaven}. BSB BSB: Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and everyone in it! May the Lord GOD bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.
3 UST But now look! Yahweh is about to come out from heaven and come down to the earth where he will walk on the tops of the mountains. BSB BSB: For behold, the LORD comes forth from His dwelling place; He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
4 UST { He is so powerful that it will be as though} the mountains will melt beneath him as easily as wax melts near a fire and as quickly as water rushes down a hillside, and the valleys will split apart. BSB BSB: The mountains will melt beneath Him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope.
5 UST All of this will happen because the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, have sinned{ against Yahweh}. It was{ the leaders of the people in} the city of Samaria who led all of the descendants of Jacob to sin! It was{ the leaders of the people in} Jerusalem who led the people of Judah{ to worship idols} on the hilltops! BSB BSB: All this is for the transgression of Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
6 UST So Yahweh says,“I will turn the city of Samaria into a heap of rubble in the countryside; it will be a place for planting vineyards. I will roll the stones of its buildings down into the valley and strip the buildings down to their foundations. BSB BSB: Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble in the open field, a planting area for a vineyard. I will pour her stones into the valley and expose her foundations.
7 UST Enemies will smash all of the idols in Samaria to pieces and burn up all the gifts that people gave at the idol temples. I will make all of the idols there into ruins because the people of Samaria collected these precious things by their business of prostitution at the temples, so enemies will carry them off and use them to pay prostitutes elsewhere.” BSB BSB: All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again on a prostitute.
Weeping and Mourning 8 UST Because of all of this, I will weep and wail. I will walk around without my sandals and without my clothes. I will howl like a jackal and cry out like a family of owls. BSB BSB: Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and mourn like an ostrich.
9 UST This is because nothing now can stop Yahweh from destroying Samaria. And because the same thing will also happen to Judah;{ it is as though} the enemy army has arrived{ already} at the gates of Jerusalem, the city where my people live. BSB BSB: For her wound is incurable; it has reached even Judah; it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself.
10 UST Do not tell{ our enemies in the city of} Gath{ about this}! Certainly do not cry aloud! Instead, roll in the dust at Beth Leaphrah. BSB BSB: Do not tell it in Gath; do not weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
11 UST You people who live in Shaphir will march away naked and ashamed. The people of Zaanan will not go out{ to help you}. The people of Beth Ezel will mourn, and by their mourning{ you will know that} Beth Ezel will not help you stand{ against the enemy}. BSB BSB: Depart in shameful nakedness, O dwellers of Shaphir. The dwellers of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is in mourning; its support is taken from you.
12 UST Indeed, the people of Maroth wait anxiously for something good to happen{, but nothing good will come}. Instead, Yahweh has caused terrible things to happen, all the way to the gates of Jerusalem. BSB BSB: For the dwellers of Maroth pined for good, but calamity came down from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 UST You people of Lachish, hitch your swift horses to your war chariots{ and flee}! You were the first ones to lead the people of Zion to sin, because you caused the people of Israel to rebel against Yahweh. BSB BSB: Harness your chariot horses, O dweller of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 UST So you{ leaders in Jerusalem} will have to send farewell gifts as you part with the town of Moresheth Gath{, as a father does when giving a daughter in marriage}. The town of Achzib will prove to be deceptive to the rulers of Israel. BSB BSB: Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel.
15 UST You people of Mareshah, Yahweh will bring a conqueror to take over your town, as well. The honored leaders of Israel will go to Adullam{ once again to hide in the cave}. BSB BSB: I will again bring a conqueror against you, O dweller of Mareshah. The glory of Israel will come to Adullam.
16 UST { You leaders of Israel,} completely shave your heads{ in mourning} for the children whom you love. Shave yourselves completely bald, like an eagle, because your enemies will take your children far away from you into exile. BSB BSB: Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.