1 Heb “heads.”
2 Heb “house.”
3 Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”
4 Heb “the ones who.”
5 Or “good.”
6 Or “evil.”
7 Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the Lord as the speaker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 Heb “and their flesh from their bones.” Micah compares the social injustice perpetrated by the house of Jacob/Israel to cannibalism, because it threatens the very lives of the oppressed.
9 Heb “who.”
10 The reads “and they chop up as in a pot.” The translation assumes an emendation of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher, “as”) to כִּשְׁאֵר (kish’er, “like flesh”).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And I said:

Hear, you heads of Jacob

and rulers of the house of Israel!

Is it not for you to know justice?—

you who hate the good and love the evil,

who tear the skin from off my people

and their flesh from off their bones,

who eat the flesh of my people,

and flay their skin from off them,

and break their bones in pieces

and chop them up like meat in a pot,

like flesh in a cauldron.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of Israel.

Should you not embrace justice,

you who hate good and love evil;

who tear the skin from my people

and the flesh from their bones;

who eat my people’s flesh,

strip off their skin

and break their bones in pieces;

who chop them up like meat for the pan,

like flesh for the pot?”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of the house of Israel.

Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?

You hate good and love evil.

You tear off people’s skin

and strip their flesh from their bones.

You eat the flesh of my people

after you strip their skin from them

and break their bones.

You chop them up

like flesh for the cooking pot,

like meat in a cauldron.”

NLTNew Living Translation

I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel!

You are supposed to know right from wrong,

but you are the very ones

who hate good and love evil.

You skin my people alive

and tear the flesh from their bones.

Yes, you eat my people’s flesh,

strip off their skin,

and break their bones.

You chop them up

like meat for the cooking pot.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And I said,

“Listen, O heads of Jacob

and leaders of the house of Israel!

Is it not for you to know justice?

Those of you who are haters of good

and lovers of evil,

who tear their skin from them

and their flesh from their bones,

and who eat the flesh of my people,

and strip their skin from them,

and break their bones,

and chop them like meat in the pot,

and like flesh in the midst of a cooking pot.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob,

And ye princes of the house of Israel;

Is it not for you to know judgment?

Who hate the good, and love the evil;

Who pluck off their skin from off them,

And their flesh from off their bones;

Who also eat the flesh of my people,

And flay their skin from off them;

And they break their bones,

And chop them in pieces, as for the pot,

And as flesh within the caldron.

Public Domain