Micah Denounces Israel's Leaders
1 Listen, you rulers of Israel! You are supposed to be concerned about justice, 2 yet you hate what is good and you love what is evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh off their bones. 3 You eat my people up. You strip off their skin, break their bones, and chop them up like meat for the pot. 4 The time is coming when you will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer you. He will not listen to your prayers, for you have done evil.
5 My people are deceived by prophets who promise peace to those who pay them, but threaten war for those who don't. To these prophets the Lord says, 6 “Prophets, your day is almost over; the sun is going down on you. Because you mislead my people, you will have no more prophetic visions, and you will not be able to predict anything.” 7 Those who predict the future will be disgraced by their failure. They will all be humiliated because God does not answer them.
8 But as for me, the Lord fills me with his spirit and power, and gives me a sense of justice and the courage to tell the people of Israel what their sins are. 9 Listen to me, you rulers of Israel, you that hate justice and turn right into wrong. 10 You are building God's city, Jerusalem, on a foundation of murder and injustice. 11 The city's rulers govern for bribes, the priests interpret the Law for pay, the prophets give their revelations for money—and they all claim that the Lord is with them. “No harm will come to us,” they say. “The Lord is with us.”
12 And so, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins, and the Temple hill will become a forest.
Mika ma yamburura ovanane vOvaisrael
1 Purateneye, va nane vOvaisrael! Kaweṋe mbu mwa sokutjiwa ousemba are? 2 Nungwari eṋe mwa tonda ouwa nu mwa suvera ouvi; eṋe mu purura ovandu vandje nomuinyo namu isa ko onyama komaṱupa. 3 Mu rya ovandu votjiwaṋa tjandje namu purura omikova kotutu twawo; mu teya omaṱupa wawo namu ve kondo otja onyama yomonyungu tji i kondwa. 4 Oruveze maru ya eṋe mu mamu ku ku Muhona, nungwari eye ke nokumuzira ko; eye ke nokupuratena kozongumbiro zeṋu, tjinga amwa tjita ouvi.
5 Muhona ma tja nai kovaprofete imba mbe pukisa otjiwaṋa tje: “Owo ngunda ave noviriwa okurya ve zuvarisa ohange. Nu ku imba mbe hi notjikurya okuvepa, owo ve tanda okuveetera ovita. 6 Vaprofete, omayuva weṋu yeya komaandero, ouṱuku mau ya ku eṋe, notji mu hi nokumuna ovirimunikise nokukara nomaukiro, motjimbe tjokutja mu pukisa otjiwaṋa tjandje.” 7 Imba mbe uka oruyaveze mave ṱisiwa ohoṋi, tjinga imbi mbi va uku avi hi nokurira ouatjiri. Owo mave susuparisiwa mohoṋi Ndjambi tjinga e hi nokuvepa eziriro, ndi mave undju.
8 Nungwari ami mbe urisiwa nomasa nOmbepo ya Muhona nousemba nouvanḓe okuraera Ovaisrael ourunde wawo. 9 Nambano purateneye ku ami, eṋe vanane va Israel mbu mwa tonda ousemba nu mbu mwa tanaura ousemba mouvi, 10 nu mbu mu tunga otjihuro tja Ndjambi, Jerusalem, komazikameno womazepero nowouhasemba. 11 Ovanane votjihuro ve pangura mena roviyandjewa vyombopero, novapristeri vatjo ve honga omatwako okutja ve sutwe ondjambi, novaprofete vatjo ve uka mena rotjimariva. Nu mu woveni ve ripura kutja mokutjita nao Ndjambi uri puna wo notji ve tja: “Muhona u ri puna eṱe. Kape notjipo tji matji ya kweṱe.”
12 Nambano mena reṋu, Sion matji twerewa otja ehi rotjikunino, nu Jerusalem matji rire etundu, notjivanda tjondjuwo ya Muhona matji rire ehwa.
