مِيخَا 2

١ 1 وَيْلٌ لِلْمُفْتَكِرِينَ بِٱلْبُطْلِ، وَٱلصَّانِعِينَ ٱلشَّرَّ عَلَى مَضَاجِعِهِمْ! فِي نُورِ ٱلصَّبَاحِ يَفْعَلُونَهُ لِأَنَّهُ فِي قُدْرَةِ يَدِهِمْ.

Terrible things will happen to you who lie awake at night, planning to do wicked things. You get up at dawn, and you do those things, [as soon as] you are able to do them.

٢ 2 فَإِنَّهُمْ يَشْتَهُونَ ٱلْحُقُولَ وَيَغْتَصِبُونَهَا، وَٱلْبُيُوتَ وَيَأْخُذُونَهَا، وَيَظْلِمُونَ ٱلرَّجُلَ وَبَيْتَهُ وَٱلْإِنْسَانَ وَمِيرَاثَهُ.

You want fields [that belong to other people], so you seize them; you also take their houses. You cheat people to get their homes, taking away the property that belongs to their families.

٣ 3 لِذَلِكَ هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ: «هَأَنَذَا أَفْتَكِرُ عَلَى هَذِهِ ٱلْعَشِيرَةِ بِشَرٍّ لَا تُزِيلُونَ مِنْهُ أَعْنَاقَكُمْ، وَلَا تَسْلُكُونَ بِٱلتَّشَامُخِ لِأَنَّهُ زَمَانٌ رَدِيءٌ.

Therefore, this is what Yahweh says: “I will cause you people to experience disasters, and you will not be able to escape [MTY] from them. You will no [longer] walk around proudly, because when those things happen, it will be a time of much trouble for you.

٤ 4 «فِي ذَلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمِ يُنْطَقُ عَلَيْكُمْ بِهَجْوٍ وَيُرْثَى بِمَرْثَاةٍ، وَيُقَالُ: خَرِبْنَا خَرَابًا. بَدَلَ نَصِيبِ شَعْبِي. كَيْفَ يَنْزِعُهُ عَنِّي؟ يَقْسِمُ لِلْمُرْتَدِّ حُقُولَنَا».

At that time, [your enemies] will make fun of you; they will ridicule you by singing this sad song about you: ‘We are completely ruined; Yahweh is taking our land/fields from us, and he will give it to those who will capture us.’”

٥ 5 لِذَلِكَ لَا يَكُونُ لَكَ مَنْ يُلْقِي حَبْلًا فِي نَصِيبٍ بَيْنَ جَمَاعَةِ ٱلرَّبِّ.

So [when it is the time for the land to be given back to you] people who belong to Yahweh, there will be no one [MTY] who will be able to (cast lots/throw marked stones) to determine which land belongs to whom.

٦ 6 يَتَنَبَّأُونَ قَائِلِينَ: «لَا تَتَنَبَّأُوا». لَا يَتَنَبَّأُونَ عَنْ هَذِهِ ٱلْأُمُورِ. لَا يَزُولُ ٱلْعَارُ.

The people [who heard me say that] replied to me, “Do not prophesy such things! Do not say that [Yahweh] is going to humiliate us [by causing us to experience disasters]!”

٧ 7 أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُسَمَّى بَيْتَ يَعْقُوبَ، هَلْ قَصُرَتْ رُوحُ ٱلرَّبِّ؟ أَهَذِهِ أَفْعَالُهُ؟ «أَلَيْسَتْ أَقْوَالِي صَالِحَةً نَحْوَ مَنْ يَسْلُكُ بِٱلِٱسْتِقَامَةِ؟

But you people [MTY] of Israel should not [RHQ] talk like that! The Spirit of Yahweh will certainly not [RHQ] be patient [with people who say such things]! People who continually do things that are righteous will certainly [RHQ] like/appreciate what I say.

٨ 8 وَلَكِنْ بِٱلْأَمْسِ قَامَ شَعْبِي كَعَدُوٍّ. تَنْزِعُونَ ٱلرِّدَاءَ عَنِ ٱلثَّوْبِ مِنَ ٱلْمُجْتَازِينَ بِٱلطُّمَأْنِينَةِ، وَمِنَ ٱلرَّاجِعِينَ مِنَ ٱلْقِتَالِ.

[But Yahweh says], “[Recently] my people have been acting toward me like an enemy. When soldiers return from fighting [against their enemies], you [rich people refuse to return the coats of those poor soldiers who have borrowed money from you] [and given you their coats to guarantee that they will pay back the money that they borrowed from you]. [It is as though] you are waiting to forcefully take their coats off their backs!

٩ 9 تَطْرُدُونَ نِسَاءَ شَعْبِي مِنْ بَيْتِ تَنَعُّمِهِنَّ. تَأْخُذُونَ عَنْ أَطْفَالِهِنَّ زِينَتِي إِلَى ٱلْأَبَدِ.

You have forced women to leave their nice homes, and you have stolen from their children forever the (blessings/good things) that I wanted to give them.

١٠ 10 «قُومُوا وَٱذْهَبُوا، لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَتْ هَذِهِ هِيَ ٱلرَّاحَةَ. مِنْ أَجْلِ نَجَاسَةٍ تُهْلِكُ وَٱلْهَلَاكُ شَدِيدٌ.

[So] get up and leave [here]! This is not a place where you can rest [and be safe/protected], because you have (defiled it/caused it to be a place that I hate); it will be completely destroyed.

١١ 11 لَوْ كَانَ أَحَدٌ وَهُوَ سَالِكٌ بِٱلرِّيحِ وَٱلْكَذِبِ يَكْذِبُ قَائِلًا: أَتَنَبَّأُ لَكَ عَنِ ٱلْخَمْرِ وَٱلْمُسْكِرِ لَكَانَ هُوَ نَبِيَّ هَذَا ٱلشَّعْبِ!

[You people want] a prophet who will lie to you, saying ‘I will preach [that you should drink] plenty of wine and [other] alcoholic drinks!’ That is the [kind of] prophet who [would please] you.”

١٢ 12 «إِنِّي أَجْمَعُ جَمِيعَكَ يَا يَعْقُوبُ. أَضُمُّ بَقِيَّةَ إِسْرَائِيلَ. أَضَعُهُمْ مَعًا كَغَنَمِ ٱلْحَظِيرَةِ، كَقَطِيعٍ فِي وَسَطِ مَرْعَاهُ يَضِجُّ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ.

“[But some day], you descendants of Jacob, you Israeli people who have survived, I will bring you back [from (exile/other countries)], I will gather you together like [SIM] [a shepherd gathers his] sheep from the pasture into a pen [DOU]; there will be many of you in your land/country.

١٣ 13 قَدْ صَعِدَ ٱلْفَاتِكُ أَمَامَهُمْ. يَقْتَحِمُونَ وَيَعْبُرُونَ مِنَ ٱلْبَابِ، وَيَخْرُجُونَ مِنْهُ، وَيَجْتَازُ مَلِكُهُمْ أَمَامَهُمْ، وَٱلرَّبُّ فِي رَأْسِهِمْ».

Your leader will enable them to leave the countries where they have been exiled; he will lead them out of the gates [of their enemies’ cities], [back to your own country]. Your king will lead them; [it is I], Yahweh, who will be their king!”