1 The word of the Lord, which was made to Micah the Morasthite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah; which word he saw on Samaria and Jerusalem.

2 Hear ye, all peoples, and the earth perceive, and the plenty thereof, and be the Lord God to you into a witness, the Lord from his holy temple.

3 For lo! the Lord shall go out of his place, and shall come down, and shall tread on high things of earth.

4 And mountains shall be wasted under him, and valleys shall be cut, as wax from the face of fire, and as waters that run down into a pit.

5 In the great trespass of Jacob is all this thing, and in the sins of the house of Israel. Which is the great trespass of Jacob? whether not Samaria? and which be the high things of Judah? whether not Jerusalem?

6 And I shall put Samaria as an heap of stones in the field, when a vine-yard is planted; and I shall draw away the stones thereof into a valley, and I shall show the foundaments thereof.

7 And all graven images thereof shall be beaten together, and all hires thereof shall be burnt in fire; and I shall put all the idols thereof into perdition; for of the hires of an whore those be gathered, and to hire of an whore those shall turn again.

8 On this thing I shall wail and yell, I shall go spoiled and naked; I shall make wailing as of dragons, and mourning as of ostriches.

9 For wound thereof is despaired; for it came till to Judah, it touched the gate of my people, till to Jerusalem.

10 In Gath do not ye tell, by tears weep ye not; in the house of dust with dust altogether sprinkle you.

11 And ye of a fair dwelling, pass to you, which is confounded with evil fame; it is not gone out, which dwelleth in the going out; a nigh house shall take of you wailing, which stood to itself.

12 For it is made sick [in] to good, which dwelleth in bitternesses. For evil came down from the Lord into the gate of Jerusalem,

13 the noise of [a] four-horsed cart, of dread to the people dwelling at Lachish. It is the beginning of sin of the daughter of Zion, for the great trespasses of Israel be found in thee.

14 Therefore he shall give warriors on the heritage of Gath, on the houses of leasing into deceit to kings of Israel.

15 Yet I shall bring an heir to thee, that dwellest in Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come till to the cave at Adullam.

16 Be thou made bald, and be thou clipped on the sons of thy delights; alarge thy baldness as an eagle, for they be led captive from thee.