Micah 1:8-16
Lament for the Wound
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8Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and mourn like an ostrich.
9For her wound is incurable; it has reached even Judah; it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself.
10Do not tell it in Gath; do not weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
11Depart in shameful nakedness, O dwellers of Shaphir. The dwellers of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is in mourning; its support is taken from you.
12For the dwellers of Maroth pined for good, but calamity came down from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13Harness your chariot horses, O dweller of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel.
15I will again bring a conqueror against you, O dweller of Mareshah. The glory of Israel will come to Adullam.
16Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.
Berean Standard Bible
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Micah responds to the coming judgment with lament. He will walk barefoot and naked, howl like a jackal, and mourn like an ostrich. The wound is incurable and has reached Judah, approaching Jerusalem’s gate. He cannot speak of this as trouble that belongs safely elsewhere.
His mourning moves from town to town. Gath must not hear; Beth-leaphrah must roll in dust. Shaphir faces shame, Zaanan will not come out, and Beth-ezel’s mourning means its support is lost. Maroth waits for good, but calamity comes from the LORD as far as Jerusalem.
Lachish is told to harness its horses and is charged with bringing sin to Zion. Farewell gifts must go to Moresheth-gath; Achzib’s houses will deceive Israel’s kings. A conqueror will come to Mareshah, and Israel’s glory will come to Adullam.
The passage ends with the grief of parents. They must cut off their hair in mourning because their precious children will go into exile. The named places give the warning its weight: families in actual towns will suffer loss. Micah grieves over the judgment he announces. Taking the LORD’s word seriously includes refusing to be indifferent to the people it concerns.
Questions
1 How does Micah express his grief?
AnswerHe laments and wails, walks barefoot and naked, and uses the cries of animals to express the depth of mourning.
2 Why does the passage list so many towns?
AnswerThe list makes the coming judgment personal and local. Each place represents people and homes affected by the wound.
3 What happens to Judah in the warning?
AnswerThe wound reaches Judah and approaches Jerusalem, so Judah is not safely outside the crisis.
4 What does the command to mourn for precious children show?
AnswerIt shows that exile will bring real family loss. The text does not ask people to treat that loss as a small spiritual object lesson.
What This Means for Us
The prophet who announces judgment also mourns. He does not treat the coming loss as an occasion to show that he was right.
When someone suffers, offer care before trying to explain what happened. Listen to the loss they name, pray with them if they welcome it, and help with an ordinary need such as food or company. Honest grief and faith in God can belong together.
Prayer
God who sees every wounded place, teach us to grieve without pretending. Give us compassion for neighbors under strain, honesty about our own sin, and care for children who carry losses they did not choose. Amen.