Micah 2:4
New International Version
In that day people will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: ‘We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

New Living Translation
In that day your enemies will make fun of you by singing this song of despair about you: “We are finished, completely ruined! God has confiscated our land, taking it from us. He has given our fields to those who betrayed us.”

English Standard Version
In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined; he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields.”

Berean Standard Bible
In that day they will take up a proverb against you and taunt you with this bitter lamentation: ‘We are utterly ruined! He has changed the portion of my people. How He has removed it from me! He has allotted our fields to traitors.’”

King James Bible
In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.

New King James Version
In that day one shall take up a proverb against you, And lament with a bitter lamentation, saying: ‘We are utterly destroyed! He has changed the heritage of my people; How He has removed it from me! To a turncoat He has divided our fields.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
“On that day they will take up against you a song of mocking And utter a song of mourning and say, ‘We are completely destroyed! He exchanges the share of my people; How He removes it from me! To the apostate He apportions our fields.’

NASB 1995
“On that day they will take up against you a taunt And utter a bitter lamentation and say, ‘We are completely destroyed! He exchanges the portion of my people; How He removes it from me! To the apostate He apportions our fields.’

NASB 1977
“On that day they will take up against you a taunt And utter a bitter lamentation and say, ‘We are completely destroyed! He exchanges the portion of my people; How He removes it from me! To the apostate He apportions our fields.’

Legacy Standard Bible
On that day they will take up against you a taunt And utter a bitter wailing and say, ‘We are completely devastated! He exchanges the portion of my people; How He removes it from me! To the faithless one, He apportions our fields.’

Amplified Bible
“On that day they shall take up a [taunting, deriding] parable against you And wail with a doleful and bitter song of mourning and say, ‘We are completely destroyed! God exchanges the inheritance of my people; How He removes it from me! He divides our fields to the rebellious [our captors].’

Christian Standard Bible
In that day one will take up a taunt against you and lament mournfully, saying, “We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How he removes it from me! He allots our fields to traitors.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
In that day one will take up a taunt against you, and lament mournfully, saying,” We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How He removes it from me! He allots our fields to traitors.”

American Standard Version
In that day shall they take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We are utterly ruined: he changeth the portion of my people: how doth he remove it from me! to the rebellious he divideth our fields.

Contemporary English Version
When that happens, this sorrowful song will be sung about you: "Ruined! Completely ruined! The LORD has taken our land and given it to traitors."

English Revised Version
In that day shall they take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he changeth the portion of my people: how doth he remove it from me! to the rebellious he divideth our fields.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When that day comes, people will make fun of you. They will sing this sad song about you: "We are completely ruined. The LORD gives our people's possessions [to others]. He takes them from us. He divides our fields among our captors."

Good News Translation
When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will sing this song of despair about your experience: We are completely ruined! The LORD has taken our land away And given it to those who took us captive."

International Standard Version
"When this happens, someone will compose a proverb about you, lamenting sorrowfully, 'We are completely ruined! He has given my people's heritage to others. How he has removed it from me, dividing up our fields!'

Majority Standard Bible
In that day they will take up a proverb against you and taunt you with this bitter lamentation: ?We are utterly ruined! He has changed the portion of my people. How He has removed it from me! He has allotted our fields to traitors.??

NET Bible
In that day people will sing this taunt song to you--they will mock you with this lament: 'We are completely destroyed; they sell off the property of my people. How they remove it from me! They assign our fields to the conqueror.'

New Heart English Bible
In that day they will take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, saying, 'We are utterly ruined. My people's possession is divided up. Indeed he takes it from me and assigns our fields to traitors.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a grievous lamentation, and say, We are utterly wasted: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.

World English Bible
In that day they will take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, saying, ‘We are utterly ruined! My people’s possession is divided up. Indeed he takes it from me and assigns our fields to traitors!’”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
In that day [one] takes up for you an allegory, "" And he has wailed a wailing of woe, "" He has said, We have been utterly spoiled, "" The portion of my people He changes, "" How He moves toward me! To the backslider our fields He apportions.

Young's Literal Translation
In that day doth one take up for you a simile, And he hath wailed a wailing of woe, He hath said, We have been utterly spoiled, The portion of my people He doth change, How doth He move toward me! To the backslider our fields He apportioneth.

Smith's Literal Translation
In that day a parable shall be lifted up against you, and a wailing of a wailing was wailed, saying, Being laid waste, we shall be laid waste: he will exchange a portion of my people: how he will remove to me; for turning away, he will divide our fields.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
In that day a parable shall be taken up upon you, and a song shall be sung with melody by them that say: We are laid waste and spoiled: the portion of my people is changed: how shall he depart from me, whereas he is returning that will divide our land?

Catholic Public Domain Version
In that day, a parable will be taken up about you, and a song will be sung with sweetness, saying: “We have been devastated by depopulation.” The fate of my people has been altered. How can he withdraw from me, when he might be turned back, he who might tear apart our country?

New American Bible
On that day you shall be mocked, and there will be bitter lament: “Our ruin is complete, our fields are divided among our captors, The fields of my people are measured out, and no one can get them back!”

New Revised Standard Version
On that day they shall take up a taunt song against you, and wail with bitter lamentation, and say, “We are utterly ruined; the LORD alters the inheritance of my people; how he removes it from me! Among our captors he parcels out our fields.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
In that day shall one take up a proverb against you, and lament with a wailing melody, and say, The robber has plundered us; the portion of my people he has divided with a measuring line; there is none to restore our fields with the measuring line.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
In that day we will take up a parable concerning you and with a song we shall lament a lamentation, and we shall say: ’a robber will plunder us and he will divide the division of my people with a measuring line, and there is none who restores our fields with a measuring line
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
In that day shall they take up a parable against you, And lament with a doleful lamentation, and say: 'We are utterly ruined; He changeth the portion of my people; How doth he remove it from me! Instead of restoring our fields, he divideth them.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
In that day shall a parable be taken up against you, and a plaintive lamentation shall be uttered, saying, We are thoroughly miserable: the portion of my people has been measured out with a line, and there was none to hinder him so as to turn him back; your fields have been divided.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Woe to the Oppressors
3Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I am planning against this nation a disaster from which you cannot free your necks. Then you will not walk so proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. 4In that day they will take up a proverb against you and taunt you with this bitter lamentation: ‘We are utterly ruined! He has changed the portion of my people. How He has removed it from me! He has allotted our fields to traitors.’” 5Therefore, you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot.…

Cross References
Isaiah 5:8-10
Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land. / I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied. / For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”

Amos 5:11
Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.

Habakkuk 2:6
Will not all of these take up a taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’

Lamentations 2:15-16
All who pass by clap their hands at you in scorn. They hiss and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” / All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day for which we have waited. We have lived to see it!”

Isaiah 14:4
you will sing this song of contempt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how his fury has ended!

Jeremiah 9:10
I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.

Ezekiel 26:17
Then they will lament for you, saying, “How you have perished, O city of renown inhabited by seafaring men—she who was powerful on the sea, along with her people, who imposed terror on all peoples!

Zephaniah 2:5
Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast, O nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you, and no one will be left.”

Matthew 23:37-38
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! / Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Luke 19:41-44
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ...

James 5:1-6
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days. ...

Isaiah 24:3
The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.

Jeremiah 6:12
Their houses will be turned over to others, their fields and wives as well, for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 7:11
Their violence has grown into a rod to punish their wickedness. None of them will remain: none of their multitude, none of their wealth, and nothing of value.

Hosea 9:7
The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility.


Treasury of Scripture

In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he has changed the portion of my people: how has he removed it from me! turning away he has divided our fields.

shall.

Numbers 23:7,18
And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel…

Numbers 24:3,15
And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: …

Job 27:1
Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

and lament.

2 Samuel 1:17
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

2 Chronicles 35:25
And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

Jeremiah 9:10,17-21
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone…

a doleful lamentation.

Lamentations 1:1-5:22
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! …

Ezekiel 2:10
And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

We.

Deuteronomy 28:29
And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

Isaiah 6:11
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

Isaiah 24:3
The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.

he hath changed.

Micah 2:10
Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

Micah 1:15
Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.

2 Kings 17:23,24
Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day…

turning away he.

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Micah 2
1. Against oppression.
4. A lamentation.
7. A reproof of injustice and idolatry.
12. A promise to restore Jacob.














In that day
This phrase often signifies a specific time of divine intervention or judgment in the prophetic literature. In the Hebrew context, "that day" refers to a future moment when God's justice will be manifest. It is a reminder of the certainty of God's timing and the fulfillment of His promises, both of judgment and restoration.

they will take up a taunt against you
The Hebrew word for "taunt" (מָשָׁל, mashal) can also mean a proverb or parable. This indicates that the judgment will be so severe that it becomes proverbial, a lesson for others. The community's downfall will serve as a cautionary tale, emphasizing the consequences of turning away from God's commandments.

and wail a bitter lament
The expression of deep sorrow and regret is captured in the Hebrew word "lament" (נִיהָה, nihyah). This is not just a personal grief but a communal mourning over the loss of God's favor and the resulting devastation. It reflects the profound impact of sin and the collective realization of its consequences.

We are utterly ruined
The Hebrew root for "ruined" (שָׁדַד, shadad) conveys a sense of being violently destroyed or despoiled. This phrase captures the totality of the devastation experienced by the people, both physically and spiritually. It serves as a stark warning of the destructive power of sin and the importance of remaining faithful to God.

He has changed the portion of my people
The "portion" (חֵלֶק, chelek) refers to the inheritance or land allotted to the tribes of Israel. This change signifies a divine reallocation due to the people's unfaithfulness. It underscores the idea that God is the ultimate owner of the land and can redistribute it according to His justice and righteousness.

How He has removed it from me!
The personal lament here highlights the individual and collective loss. The removal of the land is not just a physical displacement but a spiritual disinheritance. It serves as a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and His people, where obedience leads to blessing and disobedience to loss.

He has allotted our fields to traitors
The term "traitors" (שָׁבָב, shabab) implies those who are unfaithful or deceitful. This allocation to outsiders or enemies is a reversal of fortune, illustrating the consequences of Israel's betrayal of their covenant with God. It serves as a call to repentance and a return to faithfulness, highlighting God's desire for His people to live in righteousness and justice.

(4) Shall one take up a parable against you--i.e., the enemies shall repeat in mockery the doleful lamentations with which you bewail your pitiable state.

Turning away he hath divided.--Rather, to an apostate--i.e., an idolater--he hath divided our fields. The land they were taking from others God would give into the hands of an idolatrous king.

Verse 4. - In that day. The evil time mentioned in ver. 3. A parable (mashal); probably here "a taunting song." The enemy shall use the words in which Israel laments her calamity as a taunt against her (Habakkuk 2:6). And lament with a doleful lamentation. The Hebrew gives a remarkable alliteration, Nahah nehi niheyah; Septuagint, Θρηνηθήσεται θρῆνος ἐν μέλει, "Lament a lamentation with melody;" Vulgate, Cantabitur canticum cum suavitate; "Wail a wail of woe." (Pusey). The Syriac coincides with the LXX. By taking the three words as cognates, we get a very forcible sentence; but most modern commentators consider niheyah not a feminine formation, butniph. of the substantive verb hayah; hence the words would mean, "Lament with the lamentation;" "It is done," they shall say; "we are utterly spoiled." Thus Cheyne. The lamentation begins with "It is done," and continues to the end of the verse. The verbs are used impersonally - "one shall take up," "one shall lament," "one shall say;" but it is plain that the last two refer to the Jews who shall utter the given dirge, which in turn shall be repeated as a taunt by the enemy. We are utterly spoiled. According to the second of the explanations of the preceding clause, these words expand and define the despairing cry, "It is done!" In the other case, they are the commencement of the lamentation. Septuagint, Ταλαιπωρίᾳ ἐταλαιπωρήσαμεν, "We are miserably miserable." The complaint is twofold. First, the once flourishing condition of Israel is changed to ruin and desolation. Secondly, He hath changed (changeth) the portion of my people. This is the second calamity: he, Jehovah, passes our inheritance over to the hands of others; the land of Canaan, pledged to us, is transferred to our enemies. Septuagint κτεμετρήθη ἐν σχοινίῳ, "hath been measured with a line." How hath he removed it [the portion] from me! This is better than the alternative rendering, "How doth he depart from me?" Turning away he hath divided our fields; rather, to an apostate he divideth our fields. The apostate is the King of Assyria or Chaldea; and he is so named as being a rebel against Jehovah, whom he might have known by the light of natural religion (comp. Micah 5:15; Romans 1:20). This was fulfilled later by the colonization of Samaria by a mixed population.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
In that
הַה֜וּא (ha·hū)
Article | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

day
בַּיּ֨וֹם (bay·yō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

they will take up
יִשָּׂ֧א (yiś·śā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

a taunt
מָשָׁ֗ל (mā·šāl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4912: A pithy maxim, a simile

against you
עֲלֵיכֶ֣ם (‘ă·lê·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

and wail
וְנָהָ֨ה (wə·nā·hāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5091: To groan, bewail, to assemble

this bitter
נִֽהְיָה֙ (nih·yāh)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

lamentation:
נְהִ֤י (nə·hî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5092: A wailing, lamentation, mourning song

‘We are utterly ruined;
שָׁד֣וֹד (šā·ḏō·wḏ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 7703: To deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin

He has changed
יָמִ֑יר (yā·mîr)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4171: To alter, to barter, to dispose of

the portion
חֵ֥לֶק (ḥê·leq)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2506: Portion, tract, territory

of my people!
עַמִּ֖י (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

How
אֵ֚יךְ (’êḵ)
Interjection
Strong's 349: How?, how!, where

He has removed [it]
יָמִ֣ישׁ (yā·mîš)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4185: To depart, remove

from me;
לִ֔י (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

He has allotted
יְחַלֵּֽק׃ (yə·ḥal·lêq)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2505: To be smooth, to apportion, separate

our fields
שָׂדֵ֖ינוּ (śā·ḏê·nū)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 7704: Field, land

to traitors!’”
לְשׁוֹבֵ֥ב (lə·šō·w·ḇêḇ)
Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7728: Apostate, heathenish, heathen


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OT Prophets: Micah 2:4 In that day they will take up (Mc Mic. Mi)
Micah 2:3
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