Micah 1:2–5

Hear, you peoples, all of you;

pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,

and let the Lord God be a witness against you,

the Lord from his holy temple.

For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place,

and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

And the mountains will melt under him,

and the valleys will split open,

like wax before the fire,

like waters poured down a steep place.

All this is for the transgression of Jacob

and for 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?

Hear, you peoples, all of you,

listen, earth and all who live in it,

that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you,

the Lord from his holy temple.

Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling place;

he comes down and treads on the heights of the earth.

The mountains melt beneath him

and the valleys split apart,

like wax before the fire,

like water rushing down a slope.

All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,

because of the sins of the people of Israel.

What is Jacob’s transgression?

Is it not Samaria?

What is Judah’s high place?

Is it not Jerusalem?

Listen, all you peoples;

pay attention, earth and everyone in it!

The Lord God will be a witness against you,

the Lord, from his holy temple.

Look, the Lord is leaving his place

and coming down to trample

the heights of the earth.

The mountains will melt beneath him,

and the valleys will split apart,

like wax near a fire,

like water cascading down a mountainside.

All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion

and the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the rebellion of Jacob?

Isn’t it Samaria?

And what is the high place of Judah?

Isn’t it Jerusalem?

Attention! Let all the people of the world listen!

Let the earth and everything in it hear.

The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you;

the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.

Look! The Lord is coming!

He leaves his throne in heaven

and tramples the heights of the earth.

The mountains melt beneath his feet

and flow into the valleys

like wax in a fire,

like water pouring down a hill.

And why is this happening?

Because of the rebellion of Israel—

yes, the sins of the whole nation.

Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion?

Samaria, its capital city!

Where is the center of idolatry in Judah?

In Jerusalem, its capital!

Hear, all you peoples;

give heed, O earth and its fullness.

And let the Lord Yahweh be against you as a witness,

the Lord from his holy temple.

For behold, Yahweh is coming out from his place,

and he will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.

The mountains will melt under him

and the valleys will burst open,

like wax before the fire,

like water rushing down a slope.

All this is for the rebellion of Jacob,

and for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the rebellion of Jacob?

Is it not Samaria?

And what are the high places of Judah?

Are they not Jerusalem?

Hear, all ye people;

Hearken, O earth, and all that therein is:

And let the Lord God be witness against you,

The Lord from his holy temple.

For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place,

And will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

And the mountains shall be molten under him,

And the valleys shall be cleft,

As wax before the fire,

And as the waters that are poured down a steep place.

For the transgression of Jacob is all this,

And for the sins of the house of Israel.

What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria?

And what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?