The ones whom Micah called upon to hear or to listen are designated as the “heads of Jacob” and “rulers of the house of Israel.” As parallel expressions, “heads of Jacob” and “rulers of the house of Israel” apply to the leaders in the kingdom of Judah. (3:10) They should have been rendering just decisions and been exemplary in upholding justice. As the context indicates, the question (“[Is it] not for you to know judgment?”) implies that, based on their actions, they did not “know judgment,” for they handled affairs in a manner that made it appear as though they did not know what it meant to deal justly. (3:1)

The Septuagint opens with the words, “And he will say, Now hear these [words].” Those told to listen are identified as two groups — “heads of the house of Jacob” and the “remaining ones” or the “rest of the house of Israel.” This could mean that both the rulers and all the other Israelites in the kingdom of Judah were being questioned as to whether they should not “know judgment,” manifesting such knowledge by being honest and just. (3:1)

So corrupt and oppressive were the leaders of the Israelites that they could be described as “hating good and loving evil” or, according to the Septuagint, “hating the good things and seeking the evil things.” They treated the people like animals to be slaughtered, seizing everything they could from them. The actions of these oppressors were comparable to their skinning the people and tearing away the flesh from their bones. (3:2)

The ruthlessness with which the oppressors acted is likened to slaughtering animals and consuming the meat. In preparation for devouring the flesh of the people or depriving them of what they needed to live, corrupt Israelites dealt with them savagely as if skinning them, breaking their bones in pieces, and cutting up the flesh to be placed in a pot. Those who were subjected to oppression were crushed, coming to resemble pieces of meat in a cauldron. (3:3)

Although they had made themselves guilty of grave injustices, the oppressors still regarded themselves as God’s people. When facing calamity in expression of YHWH’s punitive judgment, they would cry out to him for aid, but he would not respond to them. They would not be spared from experiencing the deserved punishment. At that time, YHWH would “hide his face from them” or, according to the Septuagint, “turn his face away from them,” refusing to grant them any favorable attention. They would then be repaid “according to their evil deeds.” The Septuagint rendering is more specific than the Hebrew text when identifying the evil of the oppressors as having been done to others (literally, “them”). (3:4)

Through Micah, YHWH directed a message to the prophets who were misleading the people. Unlike Micah who exposed wrongdoing and thus indicated that lawless ones needed to change their ways, the false prophets made the people believe that they could continue living contrary to YHWH’s commands and did not need to fear a future day of reckoning. The false prophets are described as “those biting with their teeth” or as men partaking of food obtained for their services. Upon receiving the price that meant food in their mouths, they would proclaim assurances of “peace,” well-being, or security. If, however, they got nothing for their mouths, they “sanctified,” readied for, or “aroused” (LXX) “war” against those who did not support them. In expression of their hostility, they may have responded with threats of disaster, curses, and efforts to silence anyone who disregarded them. They may have gone to the point of seeking to bring about the death of true prophets. (3:5; compare Jeremiah 26:11.)

YHWH’s judgment against the false prophets was that they would be plunged into total darkness. It would always be night for them, leaving them without any vision to report. Being in the dark, they would be unable “to divine.” Their circumstances would be comparable to having the sun set upon them for the whole day, enshrouding them in darkness for the entire period. (3:6)

Left without anything to report about what they had seen or what had been revealed to them, the visionaries (those seeing dreams [LXX]) would be ashamed. Those engaging in divining would have nothing revelatory to relate, leading to embarrassment or disgrace for them. With no answer from God to any of these men, they would cover their mustaches, probably meaning their faces. They would be so ashamed that they would seek to avoid being recognized by anyone. (3:7)

According to the Septuagint, the diviners would be laughed at, and all of them would contradict one another. Therefore, no one would listen to them. (3:7)

Micah, however, with the “spirit of YHWH” operating upon him, was “full of power” and of “judgment and might.” This suggests that he was divinely granted courage to make known YHWH’s judgment and to do so in a forceful manner. Thus empowered, he would “declare to Jacob his transgression [impious deeds (LXX)] and to Israel his sin [sins (LXX)].” Jacob and Israel are parallel designations referring to the Israelites who descended from Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. Micah would not hold back from boldly exposing the sins of his people. (3:8)

As in verse 1, Micah asked the “heads of Jacob” and “rulers of the house of Israel” to “hear” or to listen to what he would say to them. Both designations apply to the leaders in the kingdom of Judah who should have been upholding justice. They, however, made themselves guilty of grave injustices, revealing themselves to be men who abhorred judgment or justice and who perverted or twisted what was “straight,” right, or true. (3:9)

The initial words of the Septuagint may be rendered, “Now hear these [words].” Those asked to listen are identified as two groups — “rulers of the house of Jacob” and the “remaining ones” or the “rest of the house of Israel.” The wording suggests that both the rulers and all the other Israelites in the kingdom of Judah were guilty of abhorring “judgment” and perverting “all the straight things” or upright things. (3:9)

The corrupt leaders are described as building Zion “with blood” and Jerusalem “with injustice.” Zion and Jerusalem are parallel designations for the capital of the kingdom of Judah. In order to seize the property of others for their own purposes, the oppressive rulers must have shed innocent blood. (Compare 1 Kings 21:7-16.) Instead of handing down just decisions, they would have accepted bribes and then perverted justice. Their corrupt decisions could also have led to killing innocent Israelites. The imposing structures they may have erected in the city would thus have been built with the blood of innocent people and with the gains from unjust practices. (3:10)

When functioning as judges, the “heads” or leaders in Jerusalem accepted bribes. Priests taught or provided answers to inquirers for a price. Prophets who misled the people divined for the payment of silver (the then-common medium of exchange). Although all of them pursued unjust gain, they imagined that YHWH was in their midst and would protect them so that no evil or calamity would come upon them. (3:11)

On account of the corruption of the leaders, priests, and prophets whom YHWH had not called to his service, Zion or Jerusalem would cease to be an inhabited city and the site would be plowed like a field. Jerusalem would be reduced to piles of rubble. According to the Septuagint, the city would come to be like a “watchman’s hut,” probably like one that is neglected and deserted. “The mountain of the house,” or the site where the temple stood, would become like the “high places of a forest.” Perhaps this indicated that the temple site would resemble a nearly treeless areas above the dense forest covering the side of a mountain. The Septuagint refers to a “grove of a thicket” or a grove of small trees. Translators have variously interpreted the words “high places of a forest” to mean a height covered with “thorns” (CEV) or “with bushes and weeds” (NIRV), “overgrown with thickets” (NIV), “rough moorland” (REB), “a forest ridge” (NAB), “a wooded height” (NJB, NRSV), and “a shrine in the woods.” (Tanakh) (3:12)