In this verse, the speaker and the addressee are both singular in Hebrew (as shown in Revised Standard Version). However, since these singular forms are to be understood as collective in meaning, Good News Translation translates them as plurals.

The verse opens with a command to the enemy, “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy” (Revised Standard Version). Good News Translation turns this into a statement, Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us, but in many languages it will be perfectly natural to keep the form of a command.

The word gloat implies that the enemies are rejoicing with bad motives. It will help to strengthen the emotional effect of the verse in other languages if translators can find a term that implies something similar.

The reason why the enemy should not gloat is expressed in the two statements that follow. Both are figurative, and both contain two clauses, of which the second contrasts with the first. The figure in the first statement involves falling and getting up again, and in the second, darkness and light. These figures can usually be retained in translation, since they speak of universal human experiences and do not depend on particular features of Hebrew culture.

Notice that there may be several ways of expressing the contrasts between the two clauses in each figure. Revised Standard Version has “when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me,” using a subordinate temporal clause followed by a main clause. Good News Translation, with its We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the LORD will give us light, uses two pairs of main clauses, with each pair of clauses linked by the conjunction but. The construction is different, but the underlying relationship expressed is basically the same. Translators should consider what constructions are available to them in their own languages to express this relationship of contrast, and should use the one that is most clear and natural. They should be careful that they do not translate the “when” of Revised Standard Version or the but of Good News Translation literally without considering whether these terms express the correct relationships in their languages. They should be sure that the resulting construction in the receptor language really does carry the meaning of contrast.

Although Good News Translation says the LORD will give us light, the Hebrew is more precisely “the LORD will be a light to me (or, to us)” (see Revised Standard Version), and it may be quite meaningful in many languages to express the idea in this way.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

In this verse the speaker confesses the sins of the people and sees the punishment now taking place to be a result of these sins. But he also expresses hope that the Lord will eventually restore his people. In the opening sentence Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation again convey essentially the same relationship of cause and effect between the sin and the punishment, but again they do so by different constructions. Revised Standard Version puts the result (“I will bear the indignation of the LORD”) before the reason (“because I have sinned against him”). Good News Translation puts the reason (We have sinned against the LORD) before the result (so now we must endure his anger for a while). Some languages prefer one order and some the other. Translators should of course follow the order that most naturally conveys the correct relationship in their own language.

The Lord’s anger here refers to the results of his anger, namely, the way that he is punishing the people of Israel. It may be necessary to make this clear in some languages and say something like “We have sinned against the Lord, so now he is angry with us, and we must accept our punishment.” At the end of this line Good News Translation has added for a while. This phrase brings out part of the meaning of the word “until” in the third line of Revised Standard Version, showing that the experience of punishment will not last forever.

The middle part of verse 9 again uses the language of the law court and asserts that in the end the Lord will defend us. In the end means “after a while” or “eventually.” It is not a reference to the last judgment. Defend (“pleads my cause” in Revised Standard Version) means to speak in court to convince the judge that someone is right. As in 6.1 (see the discussion there), this is figurative language, and we should not be troubled about who the judge is that the Lord is speaking to. The plain meaning is that the Lord is going to help them and see that justice is done. “Execute judgment” of Revised Standard Version is explained in more detail in Good News Translation as right the wrongs that have been done to us. In languages that require the actor to be stated, this can be restructured as “put right the wrongs our enemies have done to us.”

In the last part of the verse, some translators may need to expand Good News Translation a little and say He will bring us out of the darkness into the light. As in verse 8, the images of darkness and light refer to the time of trouble and the time of peace.

The final clause of Revised Standard Version, “I shall behold his deliverance,” is expanded to we will live to see him save us in Good News Translation. This makes the participants explicit, and many translators will wish to do the same. Good News Translation has translated live to see, where Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew more literally with one word, “behold.” These words are apparently spoken in a time of great trouble, when it would be easy to think that there is no hope and that all the people will be killed. These words not only express hope that the Lord will save them, but that the speakers themselves will actually see this happen. This idea is expressed well in English by the expression “live to see,” but in other languages it may be enough simply to say “we will see,” as the Hebrew does.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The enemies in verse 8 were ready to gloat over the defeat and misfortune of the Lord’s people. But when the Lord saves his people, the position will be reversed, and these enemies will see this and be disgraced themselves. This refers to the things that the Lord will do to save his people and bring them out to the light, as stated in verse 9. When they see this, the enemies will realize how great the Lord really is, and they will be disgraced. That is, they will feel great shame for what they have done and said to the people of Israel.

When the Lord’s people were suffering, their enemies interpreted this to mean that their God was unable to save them. Thus they asked the scornful question Where is the LORD your God? The fact that the question was not a request for information but was intended to be scornful is indicated in Good News Translation by the expression taunted us by asking. Many translators will find it helpful to use some term that carries implications of scorn similar to those carried by taunted in English.

This mocking question Where is the LORD your God? is not a real question but a rhetorical one. The enemies really meant that the Lord was nowhere, or at least that he was so weak that it did not matter where he was. If this meaning is not clear in a translation, then the translation should be restructured to make it clear. One possibility is to say “The Lord your God cannot help you.” Translators should try to make the words of the enemies sound mocking, like a taunt.

The enemies of God’s people will in their turn suffer the same kind of fate that they inflicted on others. Israel will see them defeated, trampled down like mud in the streets. The Hebrew translated We will see them is more literally “Our eyes will look at them.” This may mean simply that the time will come when God’s people see their enemies in this lowly position, without saying how they feel about it. This is the meaning followed by the Good News Translation text. However, it is also quite possible that the Hebrew expression implies that God’s people will be glad to see their enemies trampled down. Revised Standard Version “gloat over” follows this interpretation (compare Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible), and Good News Translation also gives this alternative in the footnote. “Gloat over” here can be translated as “be happy to see” or even “laugh at.”

Trampled down like mud in the streets: when people walk in the streets, they trample down any mud that may be lying there, without even thinking about it. By comparing their enemies to mud, the prophet is saying that the enemies are weak and of no importance. If it is necessary to say who does the trampling, it is possible to translate something like “We will see their enemies come and defeat them and destroy them, just as easily as men trample down the mud in the streets.” If a language has no special word for trampled down or “trodden down” (Revised Standard Version), this means simply “walked on” or “stepped on.”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This verse begins the second paragraph of the section, in which the prophet addresses the people to encourage them in their hope in the Lord. Again the people are addressed as collective singular, and again this is translated with English plural forms in Good News Translation. Good News Translation has added the words People of Jerusalem in order to make clear to whom this is addressed. The promise is that the time to rebuild the city walls is coming. This actually took place under Nehemiah, probably beginning about 445 B.C. In areas where walled cities are unknown, it may be sufficient to say “the defenses of your city.”

Not only will the city itself be restored, but also At that time the territory held by the Lord’s people will be enlarged. Perhaps this means that they will be given back all the lands ruled by King Solomon when the monarchy was at the height of its power. In languages with no passive forms, this may be restructured to “the territory you hold will be much greater than it is now.”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The prophet here goes on to speak of the return of the people of Israel from exile. There is some textual difficulty with the list of places mentioned, but the general effect of the list is well expressed by Good News Translation, which begins Your people will return to you from everywhere. Of the places listed, Assyria and Egypt were the opposite ends of the familiar world. The original readers knew in which directions they were, but Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying Assyria in the east and Egypt in the south.

The Hebrew actually contains two reference to Egypt, as shown in Revised Standard Version. Some translators here prefer to follow the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and read “Tyre” instead of the second reference to Egypt. (The names for these two places were more similar in Hebrew than they appear in English.) Jerusalem Bible is one translation that does this, and the effect is to give two pairs of names (Assyria and Egypt, Tyre and the River [Euphrates]), which form a better balanced list than the three names of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. However, the Hebrew makes good sense as it stands, and it should be followed. Translators should note that the Euphrates River is in the same direction as Assyria, so that the two lines seem to describe the same set of directions, first moving from northeast (Assyria) to southwest (Egypt), then from southwest (Egypt) back to northeast (the Euphrates). If this is the intention, it may be clearer just to say it once (“from Assyria and the Euphrates River in the east and from Egypt in the south”), rather than to suggest that three separate places are in mind, as Good News Translation does. Note than in Hebrew the Euphrates in simply referred to as “the River” (Revised Standard Version).

The literal “from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain” (Revised Standard Version) refers to all seas and mountains in general. This idea is well expressed in English by Good News Translation‘s from distant seas and far-off mountains, but many languages may prefer a form closer to the Hebrew, as long as it has the correct meaning.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This verse gives something of a contrast with the two previous verses. Whereas they spoke of the restoration of Jerusalem and its people, this one speaks of the punishment of the enemy nations. They may have been used as God’s instruments for disciplining his people in the past, but they did this work in such a way as to increase their own sins. Therefore the earth, that is, those parts of it outside the territory of the Lord’s people, will become a desert.

To make clear what is meant here by the earth, many translators may want to say something like “the rest of the earth.”

Desert is literally “desolate” (Revised Standard Version). This means an area that has been destroyed, as if by an invading army. If translators cannot find a suitable term, it is possible to say “The earth will become barren” or “The earth will be spoiled.”

The reason why this will happen is clearly given: because of the wickedness of those who live on it. However, it may be clearer in some languages to say “as punishment for the wickedness of those who live on it.” If it is necessary to say who punishes, the Lord can be mentioned here. In 6.16 Jerusalem was an island of ruin amidst a sea of scornful enemies. Here the picture is reversed, and it is an island of blessing amidst a sea of desolation.

Wickedness is literally “the fruit of their doings” (Revised Standard Version). This metaphor is unnatural in English, and Good News Translation has expressed its meaning in plain language. Many translators will need to do the same.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The people here address the Lord in his role as their shepherd. This is an important Old Testament picture of the Lord’s relationship to his people, best known in Psalm 23. Here the shepherd is asked to fulfill his task of taking care of the people who are called “the flock of thy inheritance” (Revised Standard Version). The means of doing this is “with thy staff,” that is, with the usual equipment of a shepherd. (Contrast the expression “shepherd Assyria with the sword” in 5.6, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible.) Good News Translation does not mention the staff as the instrument the shepherd uses, but it conveys the idea of protection by using a noun rather than a verb and saying Be a shepherd to your people. In areas where sheep are not kept, it will probably be good for translators to follow this example. But it may be necessary to change the figure of speech from a metaphor to a simile and say “Be like a shepherd to your people” or “Look after your people as a shepherd looks after his sheep.” Another possibility is to mention the staff or crook and state its purpose, as Jerusalem Bible does: “With shepherd’s crook lead your people to pasture.” A shepherd is simply a man who takes care of a flock of sheep, or who looks after them. His “staff” is a long, straight pole, which he used mainly as a walking stick and as a support while he was standing watching the flock. This verse suggests that he may also have used it to guide the sheep or to protect them.

Revised Standard Version “flock of thy inheritance” is a literal translation that continues the metaphor. “Thy inheritance” here means “belonging to you in a special way.” Good News Translation drops the figure in this phrase and states the plain meaning with the people you have chosen. If a simile has been used in the opening clause, it can well be continued here by saying “we are like a flock that you own” or “your very own flock.” Even if a translator decides not to use the figure, it may be helpful in some languages to say “the people you have chosen to be your own.” In any case, translators should be careful not to use a word meaning “inheritance” if this will suggest that someone has to die before the heir can take possession.

The middle part of the verse is less clear in meaning. For Revised Standard Version‘s “forest” and “garden land” Good News Translation has wilderness and fertile land. The basic contrast is between cultivated and uncultivated land, and in the majority of languages there will be little difficulty in expressing this distinction. The sentence seems to describe the Lord’s people as dwelling only in the rather barren uplands of Judah. It is therefore an implied request for the extension of their territory, as mentioned in verse 11, to include the better land in surrounding areas such as the coastal plain, the plain of Jezreel, and the Jordan valley.

The word apart or “alone” (Revised Standard Version) is probably used to stress that they are not living in a good situation. Not only is their ground poor, but they are cut off from other peoples and cannot get goods or help from them. Some commentators see this as a reference to the people of Israel being set apart as a special people of God, but that is probably not the main meaning here.

The third sentence continues the metaphor of the first with its plea Let them go and feed. The reference to Bashan and Gilead supports the view that the people are asking to extend their territory. As Good News Translation makes explicit, these were areas of rich pastures. They were located on the east of the River Jordan and were among the first areas to come into the possession of the Israelites at the conquest. They had been lost to invaders in the eighth century. The prayer for their restoration in effect suggests a picture of a future that will be as glorious as the past, when the united monarchy was at the height of its power under King Solomon.

The translation of Good News Translation is rather surprising here, since it continues with the metaphor of the people as a flock of sheep who are going to feed, after having dropped this metaphor earlier and not actually having called the people a “flock.” It will probably be better for translators to be consistent. Either the picture should be kept throughout the verse, or else it should be dropped here at the end as well as in the reference to the people. If it is dropped, it is enough to say “Let them go and live in the rich land of Bashan and Gilead.” Rich in reference to pastures or fields means that the land is very fertile. Pastures are large fields with good grass for the sheep to eat.

Though the individual clauses of this verse make sense in themselves, it is not easy to see what the relationships are between them. Good News Translation tries to make these clearer by its use of Although. The sequence of thought is a follows: at this time the Lord’s people occupy only a small territory, but there is better land in neighboring areas; therefore they ask the Lord to allow them to expand and use it again, as they did long ago.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

As the literal translation of the Good News Translation footnote and the Revised Standard Version text and footnote show, there is in this verse in the Hebrew a variation in personal pronoun forms that is very confusing. If the Hebrew text is translated as it stands, the English will be “I will show him marvelous things” (compare Revised Standard Version footnote, King James Version, rv, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In this sentence the “I” must refer to the Lord and the “him” to the people of Israel. Since they have been called “you” in the earlier part of the sentence, the change is very awkward. Even Revised Standard Version and New International Version, which try to follow the Hebrew closely here, translate as “them” instead of “him,” referring to the people.

A relatively small change in the Hebrew lets us translate “I will show them” (footnote “him”) of Revised Standard Version as an imperative, and this change is accepted by Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, and New English Bible, as well as Good News Translation. This certainly gives a smooth and intelligible meaning to the verse, which on this understanding continues the prayer of the previous verse.

Good News Translation reorders the lines of this verse and puts the main clause first, Work miracles for us. This clause may have to be structured in quite a different way in other languages. Miracles are amazing, wonderful, unexpected acts. Some languages may have a single word for this, while others may have to describe the idea in a longer expression. For us may have to be translated as “in order to help us.” Another restructuring can be “Help us by doing marvelous things.”

Revised Standard Version “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt” is a reference to the idea of the Lord being at the head of his people at the time of the exodus. This is expanded and made more explicit in Good News Translation: as you did in the days when you brought us out of Egypt. The days can of course be translated as “the time,” or just “when.” You brought us can be translated as “you led us.”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .