3:1And I said: ‘Listen, now, you heads of Jacob and chiefs of the house of Israel. Is it not for you (pl) to know justice?
3:2Haters of good and lovers of evil, tearing away their skin from upon them and their flesh from upon their bones,
3:3and who eat the flesh of my people, and their skin from upon them they strip off, and their bones they break into pieces and spread [them] out just as in the pot and as flesh in the midst of a cauldron.
3:4At that time they will call out unto YHWH, and he will not answer them, and he will hide his face from them at that time, just as they committed their evil practices.
3:5Thus says YHWH unto the erring prophets to my people, those who bite with their teeth and they call out ‘peace’, and [against] whoever does not give upon their mouths, and they consecrate upon him [holy] war.
3:6For this reason, [there will be] night for you (pl) from vision[s] and it is darkened for you (pl) from divining, and the sun will go [down] upon the prophets, and the day will be dark upon them.
3:7And the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be embarrassed, and they will all of them grasp/cover themselves upon the moustache, because there is no answer [from] God.
3:8Nevertheless, as for me, I am filled with strength, with the Spirit of Yahweh, and with justice, and with power to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
3:9Listen to this, now, O heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, the ones abhorring justice, and [who] twist everything that is straight,
3:10building Zion with blood[s] and Jerusalem with unrighteousness.
3:11Her heads judge with a bribe, and her priests teach with a price, and her prophets divine with silver, and upon YHWH they lean to say, ‘Is not YHWH in the midst of us? Evil will not come upon us!’
3:12Therefore, on account of you, Zion will be ploughed a field, and Jerusalem will be a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house [will be] for high places of a forest.
4:1And it will come to pass in the afterwards days, the mountain of the house of YHWH will be established at the head of the mountains, and it will be lifted up from the hills, and peoples stream upon it.
4:2And many nations will come/walk, and they will say: ‘Come/walk, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us from his ways and let us go/walk in his paths, for from Zion torah will go out and the word of YHWH from Jerusalem.
4:3And he will judge between many peoples and he will decide for mighty nations as far [away] as distance [allows], and he will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning knives, and nation unto nation will not lift up a sword, and they will no longer learn warfare.
4:4And they will dwell, a man underneath his vine and underneath his fig tree, and there is nothing to terrify, because the mouth of YHWH of hosts has spoken.
4:5For all the peoples will walk, each man in the name of his God, but we walk in the name of YHWH our God, forever and unto [ever].
4:6In that day, on oracle of YHWH, I will gather the lame, and the exiled I will collect together, and those who I caused evil.
4:7I will set the lame for a remnant, and those driven away for a strong nation, and YHWH their God will reign as King on Mount Zion from now and into eternity.
4:8And you (ms), ‘shepherds-watch-tower-near Bethlehem’, mound of the daughter of Zion, as far as you (ms) she will come, and the former dominion will go in, the kingdom belonging to the daughter of Jerusalem.
4:9Now, why do you (fs) cry out a shout? Is there no King in you (fs)? Perhaps your (fs) counsellors have perished, for anguish has seized you (fs) like one giving birth.
4:10Be in anguish and burst forth, daughter of Zion, like one giving birth. For now you (fs) will go forth from [the] city, and you (fs) will settle in the field, and you will go as far as Babel. There you (fs) will be delivered. There YHWH will redeem you (fs) from the hand of your (fs) enemies.
4:11And now many nations will be gathered against you (fs), the ones saying, ‘let her be polluted and let our eyes see [it] in Zion’.
4:12But they (m) do not know the thoughts of YHWH, and they do not perceive his counsel, for he gathered them together like a row of fallen grain at the threshing floor.
4:13Arise and tread, daughter of Zion, for your (fs) horn I will set [as of] iron and your (fs) hooves I will set [as of] copper, and you will pulverize many peoples and I will devote to the ban to YHWH their tainted gain, and their might to the Lord of all the earth.
4:14And now you (fs) will attack the entrenchment, daughter of troops. He set upon us with a rod/scepter. They will strike upon the jaw the one judging Israel
The whole of chapter 3 is bound by common vocabulary and imagery.
Vv1-4 Oracle against the heads and chiefs of Israel. The sin is feeding on the people (vv2-3). The punishment is YHWH will not answer.
Vv5-8 Oracle against the prophets for profit. The sin is biting with the teeth and declaring peace (cf vv2-3 and the cannibalism imagery). The punishment is that there will be no answer from God (v7). Micah is different. He has power and YHWH’s Spirit to declare their sin.
Vv9-12
Note attention on Zion/Jerusalem in verses 10 and 12 on. Verses 1-9 addressed Jacob/Israel. Jerusalem will be ploughed (ie flattened), to make way for the new Jerusaelm.
Note how 4:1-5 links with 3:9-12 with language of ‘Jerusalem/Zion’, ‘head’, ‘mountain/house’ language, ‘teach’ (3:11 & 4:1)
Also, Micah 4:1-5 || Isaiah 2:2-5
Isaiah 2:1 The word which Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:2And it will come to pass in the afterwards days, the mountain of the house of YHWH will be established at the head of the mountains, and all the nations will stream upon it
Isaiah 2:3And many peoples will come/walk, and they will say: ‘Come/walk, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh and to the house of the God of Jacob, for from Zion torah will go out and the word of YHWH from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:4And will judge between the nations and he will decide for many peoples, and he will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation unto nation will not lift up a sword, and they will no longer learn warfare.
Isaiah 2:5House of Jacob, walk, and let us walk in the light of YHWH.