9Please listen to this, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice, and pervert all equity.
10They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on Yahweh, and say, “Isn’t Yahweh among us? No disaster will come on us.”
9 Please listen to this, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice, and pervert all equity.
10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on Yahweh, and say, “Isn’t Yahweh among us? No disaster will come on us.”
KJVKing James Version
9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.
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JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and pervert all equity;
10 That build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say: 'Is not the LORD in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us'?
Jeremiah 6:13(v11)“For from their least even to their greatest, everyone is given to covetousness. From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals…
Isaiah 1:23(vv9, 11)Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards. They don’t defend the fatherless,…
Micah 3:5(v11)Yahweh says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, “Peace!” and whoever doesn’t…
Jeremiah 7:4(v11)Don’t trust in lying words, saying, ‘Yahweh’s temple, Yahweh’s temple, Yahweh’s temple, are these.’
Acts 8:18-20(v11)Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me…
Show all 41 cross-references
Titus 1:11(v11)whose mouths must be stopped: men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain’s sake.
Isaiah 48:2(v11)for they call themselves citizens of the holy city, and rely on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Armies is his name.
Micah 7:3(v11)Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently. The ruler and judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful man dictates the evil…
1 Peter 5:2(v11)Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but…
Numbers 16:15(v11)Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of…
1 Samuel 12:3-4(v11)Here I am. Witness against me before Yahweh, and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I…
Psalms 58:1-2(v9)Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men? No, in your heart you plot injustice. You…
Habakkuk 2:9-12(v10)Woe to him who gets an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil! You have…
1 Samuel 8:3(v11)His sons didn’t walk in his ways, but turned away after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
Proverbs 17:15(v9)He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.
Jeremiah 8:10(v11)Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to those who will possess them. For everyone from the least even to the…
Jeremiah 22:13-17(v10)“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and doesn’t…
2 Peter 2:1-3(v11)But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,…
2 Peter 2:14-15(v11)having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing;…
Jude 1:11(v11)Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
Deuteronomy 27:19(v9)‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, fatherless, and widow.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
1 Samuel 4:3-6(v11)When the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has Yahweh defeated us today before the Philistines? Let’s get the…
Isaiah 56:11(v11)Yes, the dogs are greedy. They can never have enough. They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each…
Hosea 4:18(v11)Their drink has become sour. They play the prostitute continually. Her rulers dearly love their shameful way.
Amos 9:10(v11)All the sinners of my people will die by the sword, who say, ‘Evil won’t overtake nor meet us.’
Matthew 27:25(v10)All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!”
1 Timothy 3:3(v11)not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
Zephaniah 3:3(vv10–11)Her princes within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing until the next day.
Exodus 3:16(v9)Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob,…
Leviticus 26:15(v9)and if you shall reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my…
Jeremiah 5:28(v9)They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they…
Jeremiah 7:8-12(v11)Behold, you trust in lying words that can’t profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk…
Ezekiel 22:12(v11)In you have they taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by…
Ezekiel 22:25-28(v10)There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and…
Ezekiel 22:27(v11)Her princes within it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.
Hosea 5:1(v9)“Listen to this, you priests! Listen, house of Israel, and give ear, house of the king! For the judgment is against you; for you have been…
Micah 3:1(v9)I said, “Please listen, you heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Isn’t it for you to know justice?
Malachi 1:10(v11)“Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you,”…
Matthew 3:9(v11)Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these…
John 11:50(v10)nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”
Romans 2:17-29(v11)Indeed you bear the name of a Jew, rest on the law, glory in God, know his will, and approve the things that are excellent, being…
41 distinct cross-references across this passage (43 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (19 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv9–11The Prophet begins really to prove what he had…
The Prophet begins really to prove what he had stated, — that he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: and it was, as they say, an actual proof, when the Prophet dreaded no worldly power, but boldly addressed the princes and provoked their rage against him, Hear, he says, ye heads, ye rulers of the house of Jacob, ye men who are cruel, bloody, and iniquitous. We then see that the Prophet had not boasted of what he did not without delay really confirm. But he began with saying, that he was filled with the Spirit of God, that he might more freely address them, and that he might check their insolence. We indeed know that the ungodly are so led on headlong by Satan, that they hesitate not to resist God himself: but yet the name of God is often to them a sort of a hidden chain. However much then the wicked may rage, they yet become less ferocious when the name of God is introduced. This is the reason why the Prophet had mentioned the Spirit of God; it was, that there might be a freer course to his doctrine.
When he now says, Ye heads of the house of Jacob, ye rulers of the house of Israel, it is by way of concession, as though he had said, that these were indeed splendid titles, and that he was not so absurd as not to acknowledge what had been given them by God, even that they were eminent, a chosen race, being the children of Abraham. The Prophet then concedes to the princes what belonged to them, as though he had said, that he was not a seditious man, who had no care nor consideration for civil order. And this defense was very necessary, for nothing is more common than for the ungodly to charge God’s servants with sedition, whenever they use a freedom of speech as it becomes them. Hence all who govern the state, when they hear their corruptions reproved, or their avarice, or their cruelty, or any of their other crimes, immediately cry out, — “What! if we suffer these things, every thing will be upset: for when all respect is gone, what will follow but brutal outrage? for every one of the common people will rise up against the magistrates and the judges.” Thus then the wicked ever say, that God’s servants are seditious whenever they boldly reprove them. This is the reason why the Prophet concedes to the princes and judges of the people their honor; but a qualifying clause immediately follows, — Ye are indeed the heads, ye are rulers; but yet they hate judgment:” he does not think them worthy of being any longer addressed. He had indeed bidden them to hear as with authority; but having ordered them to hear, he now uncovers their wickedness, They hate, he says, judgments and all rectitude pervert: each of them builds Zion by blood, and Jerusalem by iniquity; that is, they turn their pillages into buildings: “This, forsooth, is the splendor of my holy city even of Zion! where I designed the ark of my covenant to be placed, as in my only habitation, even there buildings are seen constructed by blood and by plunder! See, he says, how wickedly these princes conduct themselves under the cover of their dignity!”
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We now see that the word of God is not bound, but that it puts forth its power against the highest as well as the lowest; for it is the Spirit’s office to arraign the whole world, and not a part only.
‘When the Spirit shall come,’ says Christ, ‘it will convince the world,’ (John 16:8.)
He speaks not there of the common people only, but of the whole world, of which princes and magistrates form a prominent part. Let us then know, that though we ought to show respect to judges, (as the Lord has honored them with dignified titles, calling them his vicegerents and also gods,) yet the mouths of Prophets ought not to be closed; but they ought, without making any difference, to correct whatever is deserving of reproof, and not to spare even the chief men themselves. This is what ought in the first place to be observed.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv10–11They build them houses by bribery, which he calleth…
They build them houses by bribery, which he calleth blood and iniquity.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv9–11Mic 3:9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads…
Mic 3:9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
Ver. 9. Hear this, I pray you, ye heads, &c.] He had had a bout with them before; but because little good was thereby done, he is at them again; according to that counsel of the wise man, Ecc 11:6, "In the morning sow thy seed, in the evening withhold not thy hand: for thou knowest not," &c. "Preach the word," saith the apostle, "be instant" (or stand over the work, επιστηθι) "in season, out of season," 2Ti 4:2. Chrysostom told his Antiochians, that he would never give over preaching against that sin of swearing till they gave over their swearing; which, because he could not get them to do, he breaks out into these words, It will be a hard speech unto you, but I will speak it: though there be so many thousands of you, yet there cannot be found a hundred that shall be saved; and I tell you true, I doubt of them too.
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Ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel] As bad as they were he gives them their titles. The devil also is to have his due; he is called by the Holy Ghost "Prince of the air," and his angels are styled "principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world," Eph 6:12. {See Trapp on "Mic 3:1"}
That abhor judgment] They were not only ignorant of it, Mic 3:1, but abhorred it; and therefore abhorred it because they knew it not. Plato could say, that if moral virtue could be beheld with mortal eyes it would attract all hearts to itself. "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, spake evil of those things that they understood not," 2Pe 2:12, and "what they knew naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupted themselves," Jdg 1:10; being carried away by their impetuous and imperious lusts, they not only did that which was evil, but also hated the light of the law that reproved and sentenced them; licensing others by their practice, at least, to do the like. Such Centaurs and Cyclopes were these princes of Israel grown; such Heteroclites these heads of the house of Jacob. "The whole head was sick," Isa 1:5, the rulers were a scab, Isa 5:7. The Lord "looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry." They had made the age not unlike that under Nero, wherein nothing almost was unlawful; but villany was acted by authority (Dio Cassius).
And pervert all equity] Heb. they pervert, &c. It is spoken to others, in token of abomination; see the like, Gen 49:4, with the note. Now equity or rectitude is perverted, when the guilty are acquitted and the innocent condemned, see Isa 5:20; Isa 5:23, when there is accepting of persons. and receiving of gifts,
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv9–11This verse is word for word the same in…
This verse is word for word the same in the former part of it with the former part of the first verse of this chapter; we refer thither for explication of it. The prophet having asserted his Divine call, and avowed his faithfulness in the prophetic office, Mic 3:8, he here gives us one more proof of it, dealing roundly with the magistrates in both kingdoms, Israel and Judah.
That abhor judgment; whereas judgment should be their great delight, as it is of every good magistrate, these had hearts that detested it, were weary of the directions of God’s law in their polity, and hated to be controlled by it.
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And pervert all equity; where you can, you wrest the law to countenance your unequal proceedings, and wrong those you should right, and acquit those you should condemn. And there is many a woe denounced against such.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv9–11Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the…
Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel,.... As an instance of his boldness, courage, and impartiality, he begins with the principal men of the land, and charges them with sins, and reproves for them, and denounces judgments on account of them; See Gill on Mic 3:1;
that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity; a sad character of princes, rulers, and judges, who not only ought to know but to love judgment, justice, and equity, and do them; even take delight and pleasure in the distribution of them to everyone, and in every cause that came before them; but, instead of this, hated to do that which was right and just; and perverted all the rules and laws of justice and equity, clearing the guilty, and condemning the innocent.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv10–11They - The heads and great ones enlarge, beautify,…
They - The heads and great ones enlarge, beautify, and fortify, the house in Zion, particularly the temple and the royal palace. Blood - With wealth, which they made themselves masters of by violence, taking away the life of the owners.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv9–11Verse 9. Hear this] An appeal similar to that…
Verse 9. Hear this] An appeal similar to that in Mic 3:1.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn v9Mic 3:9-11. Hear this, ye heads of the house…
Mic 3:9-11. Hear this, ye heads of the house of Jacob, &c. — This address to the great men, shows the prophet’s courage and impartiality. That abhor judgment, &c. — Who do not love to pass a right judgment in matters that come before you, because you make no advantage to yourselves by so doing; but covet to have large bribes given you, to pervert equity, and make wrong decisions. They build up Zion with blood, &c. — Who build houses with the riches gotten by violence, and by the condemnation of the innocent. The heads thereof judge for reward — The judges pass sentence, not according to the right of the case, but according as they have been bribed. The priests thereof teach for hire — The priests for the sake of lucre teach those things which are agreeable to the kings and people, and not what God hath commanded to be taught. It was the duty of the priests to instruct the people, as well as to attend upon the service of the temple; for which cause they had cities allotted to them in all parts of the land: but, not being content with that plentiful revenue which the law allowed them, they made a corrupt gain of their office. And the prophets divine for money — This is to be understood of the false prophets. Yet will they lean upon the Lord — Pretend to trust in him, and expect his favour, protection, and blessing. And say, Is not the Lord among us — As our God and our shield? None evil — Such as war, famine, and captivity, can come upon us — While we have him with us to defend and help us.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv9–11Hear this, I pray you - The prophet discharges…
Hear this, I pray you - The prophet discharges upon them that “judgment” whereof, by the Spirit of God, he was full, and which they “abhorred; judgment” against their perversion of judgment. He rebukes the same classes as before “the heads and judges” Mic 3:1, yet still more sternly. They abhorred judgment, he says, as a thing loathsome and abominable, such as men cannot bear even to look upon; they not only dealt wrongly, but they “perverted, distorted, all equity:” “that so there should not remain even some slight justice in the city” . “All equity;” all of every sort, right, rectitude, uprightness, straight-forwardness, whatever was right by natural conscience or by God’s law, they distorted, like the sophists making the worse appear the better cause. Naked violence crushes the individual; perversion of equity destroys the fountain-head of justice. The prophet turns from them in these words, as one who could not bear to look upon their misdeeds, and who would not speak to them; “they pervert;” building; “her heads, her priests, her prophets;” as Elisha, but for the presence of Jehoshaphat, would not look on Jehoram, nor see him 2Ki 3:14. He first turns and speaks of them, as one man, as if they were all one in evil;
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv10–11Iniquity. You offer victims unjustly procured, or build your…
Iniquity. You offer victims unjustly procured, or build your palaces with what belongs to the poor.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv9–11Hear--resumed from Mic 3:1. Here begins the leading subject…
Hear--resumed from Mic 3:1. Here begins the leading subject of the prophecy: a demonstration of his assertion that he is "full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah" (Mic 3:8).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn v9Renewed condemnation of the nation’s religious and political leaders…
Renewed condemnation of the nation’s religious and political leaders — Doom of Jerusalem, Mic_3:9-12.
After the direct denunciation of the prophets, Micah sums up the sins and crimes which may be laid to the charge of nobles, priests, and prophets, and announces the utter destruction of Jerusalem.
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Mic_3:9-10 are addressed exclusively to the “heads” and “princes” (R.V., “rulers”) of the nation, whose duty it was to administer justice. It is worthy of notice that not one word is said in condemnation of the king. This silence concerning the king may be due to the fact that the prophecy was uttered at a time when a king in sympathy with the prophetic teaching was upon the throne, namely, Hezekiah (compare Jer_26:17-19; 2Ki_18:3-4). The “heads,” instead of administering justice, abhorred and perverted it. How they did this is stated in Mic_3:11. The capital owed its splendor and magnificence very largely to the crimes condemned in Mic_3:9.
Blood — Blood-guiltiness (Isa_1:15; compare G.-K., 124n) that is, “violent conduct leading to the ruin of others.” By extortion and other illegitimate means they secured the material needed for the erection of palaces and other majestic structures. The last clause repeats the same thought for the sake of emphasis. Mic_3:11 contrasts the conduct of the rulers, priests, and prophets with their religious professions; and so it contains a summary of all the accusations uttered in the preceding verses, and paves the way for the announcement of doom in Mic_3:12.
Reward — Better, bribe. All the eighth century prophets find it necessary to preach against corruption of this sort (see on Amo_5:12; compare Isa_1:23; Mic_7:3).
The priests… teach for hire — It was the duty of the priests to teach the Torah (see on Hos_4:4 ff., especially Mic_3:6) and to give judgment in difficult legal cases; this they were to do uninfluenced by any personal consideration (Deu_17:11); but in time the priests became unfaithful, and the question of reward played an important part in the discharge of their duties.
Divine for money — See on Mic_3:5.
Lean upon Jehovah — In the face of this moral depravity rulers, priests, and prophets claimed to be entitled to the favor and protection of Jehovah.
Is not Jehovah among us? — In their opinion the prophet of judgment was a fanatic, a fool; they were convinced that, since Jehovah was on their side, no evil could befall them (see introductory remarks to Amo_3:1 to Amo_4:3; Amo_3:2; Amo_5:14). The mass of people might, perhaps, be excused for laboring under a misapprehension, but not so the leaders; they should have known that Jehovah demands holiness of heart and life rather than a painstaking ritual service.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv9, 119–12. A recapitulation of the national sins, with a…
9–12. A recapitulation of the national sins, with a more distinct declaration of the bitter end
10. build up Zion with blood] Probably this alludes to the building of palaces and fortifications, always a fruitful source of oppression in the East. ‘Blood’ is used by synecdoche for ‘violent conduct leading to the ruin of others;’ so Isa_1:15; Isa_59:3, Pro_1:11, and other passages. Unless we admit this, we shall have to take an incredibly dark view of the state of public morals in the Jewish state.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv10–11(10) They build up Zion with blood—i.e., they acquire…
(10) They build up Zion with blood—i.e., they acquire money for the erection of splendid buildings by spoliation and robbery, not stopping short of murder. So also Habakkuk (Mic_2:12) denounces the king of Babylon for the bloody wars with which he obtained wealth for the enlargement of the city.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv9–11Vers. 9-12. Recapitulation of the sins of the three…
Vers. 9-12. Recapitulation of the sins of the three classes rulers, priests, and prophets, with an announcement of the destruction of Zion and the temple.
The prophet exemplifies his courage by delivering in full the denunciation with which he commenced (ver. 1: see note there). Hear this. What follows. Pervert all equity. Ye, who by your position ought to be models and guardians of justice and equity, violate all laws, human and Divine, make the straight crooked, distort every notion of right. (comp. Isa_59:8)
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Vers. 9-11. Spurious faith.
The prophet at once vindicates the claim he has just made (ver. 8). We have here
I AS UNSPARING EXPOSURE OF SINS IN HIGH QUARTERS. All classes are involved, and to each class the most scandalous characteristic offences are imputed.
1. Civil rulers. They are open to bribes, in direct violation of Exo_23:8, and therefore pervert judgment. These sophists on the judgment seat make "the worse appear the better reason;" and at length reach such a stage of iniquity that they "abhor judgment," and "call evil good" etc.. (Isa_5:20; cf. 2Pe_2:14) In the striking figure of Isaiah, (Isa_59:14) "truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." Their crimes are set out in detail in vers. 14. Meanwhile they are building fine mansions or laying out estates, but at the price of blood, like Ahab (1Ki 19) or Jehoiakim; (Jer_22:13-19) or they are wronging the poor, though the consequences may be fatal; as in modern society some of the "heads thereof" connive at social systems in government or in business, by which the poor are defrauded of their claim to a livelihood. "The bread of the needy is their life; he that defraudeth him thereof is a man of blood. He that taketh away his neighbour"s living slayeth him: and he that defraudeth the labourer of his hire is a bloodshedder" (Ecc 35:21, Ecc 35:22).
2. Ecclesiastical leaders. The priests" duty was to teach the Law, (Lev_10:11 Deu_17:11 Deu_33:10) but they too needed douceurs, or fees or bribes. They probably misinterpreted the Law from the same motive as did Eli"s sons. (1Sa_2:12-17) "So Arian bishops, themselves hirelings, by false expositions of Scripture countenanced Arian emperors in their persecution of the faithful" (Pusey). So, too, persecuting priests and prelates in more recent days.
3. Prophets. These religious teachers were raised up to promote a reformation; but they too had been dragged down to the level of other teachers. Divine prophecy had been corrupted into divination, as in the case of Balaam, and covetousness was universal. (ver. 5; and cf. Eze_13:1-6) An instructive parallel may be found in the case of the regular clergy of the medieval Church, who were gradually degraded to the low moral level of the secular clergy. We are reminded of the odiousness of a mercenary ministry. Thus all classes were combined in a conspiracy of unrighteousness, (as in Eze_22:23-31) and the love of money was the root of all this evil.
II AN INDIGNANT PROTEST AGAINST UNWARRANTED FAITH IN GOD. They flatter themselves:
1. That they may lean upon the lord. Deaf to all past teachings, blind to the danger signals which history has erected, they insult God by leaning upon him, and expecting him to support their vile souls and pampered bodies. (cf. Deu_29:19, Deu_29:20) They further take for granted:
2. That the lord is among them. Though invisible to sense, and sending repeated protests, they assume his favourable presence. They trust in lying words, saying. "The temple of the Lord are these," as though the temple of the Lord and the Lord of the temple were identical. In a church at Innsbruck, on the tabernacle containing the consecrated wafer are the words, "Ecce tabernaculum Dei." If this daring perversion of Scripture had proclaimed a truth, what a false confidence for an unworthy communicant; as though "Corpus Christi" and "Christ in you" were the same! "There standeth One among you whom ye know not" may be true, but in a new sense; if not to sanctify, to condemn.
3. That no evil will be fall them. As though God"s protests and a guilty conscience were not in themselves evils and the forecast shadows of coming doom. So deceitful and desperately wicked is the heart of man. These truths may be applied to many nominal Christians.
(1) Ambitious monarchs or statesmen, "building up" their country by huge standing armies, or navies, or palaces, at the cost of grinding taxation, leading to semi-starvation and loathsome disease as among the Italian peasantry, or of tyrannical extortions from Egyptian fellaheen, or of a merciless conscription as in Germany, driving some of her best sons from her shores.
(2) Landlords amassing fortunes from rack renting the fever slums of London, or confiscating the fruits of the tenants" industry in Ireland.
(3) Drink sellers fattening on the pauperism of their wretched customers, or carrying liquid poisons to tribes just emerging from barbarism.
(4) Hireling preachers or priests, prophesying smooth things to unrighteous aristocrats or plutocrats, or lulling guilty consciences by the opiate of the sacrament. Such men of expediency crucified even the Son of God that Zion might be "built up". (Joh_11:48; see Jer_5:30, Jer_5:31) To that final question an answer is found in ver. 12. E.S.P.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn v10Hear this . . . ye heads of the…
Mic_3:10-11
Hear this . . . ye heads of the house of Jacob . . . that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity
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Rectitude
I.
There is an eternal law of right that should govern man in all his relations. Right, as a sentiment, is one of the deepest, most ineradicable and operative sentiments in humanity. All men feel that there is such a thing as right. What the right is is a subject on which there has been and is a variety of opinion. Right implies a standard, and men differ about the standard. Some say the law of your country is the standard; some say public sentiment is the standard; some say temporal expediency is the standard. All these are fearfully mistaken. Philosophy and the Bible teach that there is but one standard, that is the will of the Creator. That will He reveals in many ways--in nature, in history, in conscience, in Christ. Conformity to that will is right.
1. The law of Christ should govern man in his relations with God. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, etc.
2. The law of right should govern man in his relation to his fellow men--Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them. This law of right is immutable. It admits of no modification. It is universal. It is binding alike on all moral beings in the universe. It is benevolent. It seeks the happiness of all.
II. That a practical disregard of this law leads to fraud and violence. For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. The magnates of Samaria had no respect for the practice of right, hence they stored up violence and robbery in their palaces. Fraud and violence are the two great primary crimes in all social life.
III. That fraud and violence must ultimately meet with condign punishment. Therefore thus saith the Lord God: An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. How was this realised? Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes (2Ki_17:3; 2Ki_17:6; 2Ki_18:9-11). The cheats and murderers of mankind will, as sure as there is justice in the world, meet with a terrible doom. Punishment is the recoil of crime; and the strength of the backstroke is in proportion to the original blow. (Homilist.)
.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary1892 · Public DomainOn v9Mic_3:9. Hear] Resumed from Mic_3:1. Heads] Whose ungodly conduct…
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Mic_3:9. Hear] Resumed from Mic_3:1. Heads] Whose ungodly conduct is briefly summed up again. Abhor] As a thing loathsome and abominable (Heb.)
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Mic_3:10. Build] Lit. building with wealth and money obtained by bribes and murder of the innocent (Jer_22:13; Eze_22:27; Hab_2:12). “Or by blood he may mean that they indirectly took away life, in that, through wrong judgments, extortion, usury, fraud, oppression, reducing wages, or detaining them, they took away what was necessary to support life” [Pusey],
Mic_3:11. Reward] Take bribes, when they should teach gratuitously (Lev_10:11; Deu_17:11). Prophets] False prophets. Money] “Giving the answer which their employers, the rich men, wanted, as if it were an answer from God” [Pusey.] Among us] Enthroned in the temple to protect us from calamity.
Mic_3:12. Therefore] Culminating the threats of Mic_3:8, a great contrast to the conclusion of chapter 2. They thought to build, when by their conduct they destroy Zion; “for your sake be plowed.” “The predicates are divided rhetorically, and the thought is this: the royal palace, the city, and the temple shall be so utterly destroyed, that of all the houses and palaces only heaps of rubbish will remain, and the ground upon which the city stood will be partly used as a ploughed field, and partly overgrown with bushes” (cf. Isa_32:13-14) [Keil]. Hezekiah’s repentance delayed the execution of the judgment for more than a hundred years; but Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and by Titus.
HOMILETICS
GUILTY LEADERS.—Mic_3:9-11
The prophet gives a proof of his fidelity in reproving the rulers of the nation, civil and religious; briefly sums up the sins of which they were guilty, and which brought their ruin; and shows that all who are confident of God’s favour will not escape his judgments.
I. Civil rulers perverted law for selfish aggrandisement. Rulers of the State should have been patterns of justice, but they despised it.
1. They abhorred judgment. Loathed it as abominable. Plato taught that if virtue could be seen by men, it would be attractive; but these judges knew and hated it.
2. They perverted judgment. They twisted and distorted it. Not only crushed individuals, but destroyed the foundation of justice.
3. They perverted all judgment, “all equity.” Whatever was right and straight they made crooked. Natural conscience and God’s law were both defied. They neither governed themselves by right, nor gave right to others. They encouraged others by their practice, and, as in the age of Nero, made nothing unlawful.
4. Their aim was to build up Zion. The rich built their palaces with wealth gained by fraud and oppression. The city was adorned with streets built by rapine and blood. The Lord looked “for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”
II. Religious teachers expounded law for gain. All are accused of bribery and mercenary conduct. Princes, priests, and prophets loved the wages of unrighteousness.
1. Priests taught for hire. They had maintenance assigned to them by God, had much by gratuity (1Sa_9:7-8), and should have made a difference between holy and unholy (Lev_10:10-11; Deu_17:10-11). But they sold what they should have given, and combined with the heads of the nation, with injustice. One class abused their power, another their knowledge; the judge perverted law, the priest misinterpreted it.
2. Prophets divined for money. False prophets gave answers to please those who paid them. As the oracles of Apollo were corrupted by the gold of Philip, so the law of God was sold for money. All sought their own, not the things of Christ, nor the interests of the people. “Thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.”
VAIN CONFIDENCE DESTROYED.—Mic_3:11-12
Notwithstanding their abominable conduct, yet the judges, priests, and prophets presume upon God’s favour, and think that no evil will befall them. The prophet seeks to rouse them from their vain confidence.
I. They were confident of God’s favour. “Is not the Lord among us?” Presumption feeds men with delusion. External privileges, outward reformation, ritual worship, will save no man. Those who lean upon these will dishonour God and destroy themselves. Perversion of truth and abuse of ordinances will drive God from us. “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord are we.”
II. They were confident of security from evil. “No evil can come upon us.” We are perfectly safe whatever others say. Thus men are deluded in sin, and rocked to sleep in fatal security. If men are not restrained from evil by religious privileges, they can never be protected by them. Shake off carnal security, fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
III. They were doomed to destruction in their confidence. “There shall Zion,” &c.
1. The city would be destroyed. Its stately buildings were demolished, and its proud palaces reduced to heaps. The ground on which it stood was ploughed as a common field, and the site of the temple became wild as a forest.
2. Their own sins had procured this ruin. “For your sake.” Sin will ever draw calamity in Church and State. Corrupt rulers and teachers involve the people in defection, and hasten on the judgment. They may think that they build, when they only destroy; that they secure prosperity, when they ruin it. Every sanctuary desecrated by hypocrisy will be demolished by the wrath of God. Instead of protecting, it will fall upon its worshippers, and great will be the fall of it. “Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood!”
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
Mic_3:9.
1. Persons in eminency, accustomed to sin, are generally deaf to what the Lord saith.
2. The messengers of the Lord must not give up when their message is not received, but cry till either they get audience or have delivered their souls. Hear, I pray you.
3. It is the duty of faithful ministers, in reproving the faults of rulers, to be courteous, and not contemn authority. Hear, ye heads, &c. [Adapted from Hutcheson].
Mic_3:10. Building Zion by wrong means is the way to pull it down. It can never stand erected by sinful materials, and for a selfish end. “Truly we build up Zion with blood when we cheapen luxuries and comforts at the price of souls, use Christian toil like brute strength, tempt men to dishonesty and women to other sin, to eke out the scanty wages which alone our selfish thirst for cheapness allows, heedless of everything save of our individual gratification, or of the commercial prosperity which we have made our god” [Pusey]. Righteousness builds up because it brings God’s protection and blessing unrighteousness tears down because it brings God’s curse [Hengstenberg].
Mic_3:11. Leaning.
1. Holy men sometimes rest on official relationship with God, pollute the holiest things, and become a warning to others.
2. Guilty men will often lean upon the Lord, claim his protection, and flatter themselves into false security. “The sacred office is a grievous snare to unsanctified hearts,” says one. “No ungodliness, pride, secularity, and hypocrisy are so great as those which stand before God in association with the teaching of his Word.”
Mic_3:11-12. False confidence in God.
1. Its ground, an outward temple—sacraments.
2. Its danger, disregard of the distant future, indifference, indulgence given to the natural man.
3. Its end. Fate of the Jewish state; the holy city becomes as the world, and shares the fate of the world. So likewise we. If we forsake God he will forsake us [Lange].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 3
Mic_3:9-10. Build. The crimes of the people of England are not denounced by the pulpit as they should be; the abominations of royalty, the injustices perpetrated in the courts of justice, the cupidity of traders, the swindlings of joint-stock company men, by which they become millionnaires, and win a seat in the parliament of the nation. These things are not held up, as they should be, for public execration, in the broad sunlight of eternal truth [Dr. Thomas].
Mic_3:11. Money. The priests of Rome aim but at two things—to get power from the king and money from the subject [Selden]. Gold is the fool’s curtain, which hides all his defects from the world [Feltham].
“They all the sacred mysteries of heav’n
To their own vile advantages shall turn
Of lucre and ambition” [Milton].
Mic_3:12. Zion ploughed. At the time I visited this sacred ground, one part of it supported a crop of barley, another was undergoing the labour of the plough, and the soil turned up consisted of stone and lime, filled with earth, such as is usually met with in the foundations of ruined cities. It is nearly a mile in circumference [Richardson’s Travels]. On the S.E. Zion slopes down, in a series of cultivated terraces, sharply, though not abruptly, to the sites of the king’s gardens. Here and round to the S. the whole declivities are sprinkled with olive trees, which grow luxuriantly among the narrow slips of corn [Porter].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v9house of Jacob
house of Jacob
The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house. In this case it refers to Jacob's descendants. AT: "descendants of Jacob" (See: Metonymy)
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the house of Israel
The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house. In this case it refers to Israel's descendants, who had become the nation of Israel. AT: "descendants of Israel" or "you Israelites" (See: Metonymy)
detest
strongly dislike
You build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity
"Blood" here is a metonym for murder, and "Zion" and "Jerusalem" are spoken of as if they were buildings. Micah speaks of the rich murdering people and sinning in other ways as if those activities were the bricks and wood with which people use to build houses. AT: "You commit murder and other horrible sins as you work to make Zion and Jerusalem great" or "You commit murder as you worship in Zion, and you commit other sins as you get rich in Jerusalem" (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)
Is not Yahweh with us?
The leaders strongly believe that Yahweh is with them. This can be translated as a statement. AT: "We know that Yahweh is with us!" or "We know that Yahweh will help us do what we want to do!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv9, 113:9-12 The leaders of Israel were building Jerusalem on…
3:9-12 The leaders of Israel were building Jerusalem on a foundation of murder and corruption. Because of this, the city would be dismantled; it would be reduced to wilderness and ruins (3:12).
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv9–11 The Prophet begins really to prove what he had…
The Prophet begins really to prove what he had stated, — that he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: and it was, as they say, an actual proof, when the Prophet dreaded no worldly power, but boldly addressed the princes and provoked their rage against him, Hear, he says, ye heads, ye rulers of the house of Jacob, ye men who are cruel, bloody, and iniquitous. We then see that the Prophet had not boasted of what he did not without delay really confirm. But he began with saying, that he was filled with the Spirit of God, that he might more freely address them, and that he might check their insolence. We indeed know that the ungodly are so led on headlong by Satan, that they hesitate not to resist God himself: but yet the name of God is often to them a sort of a hidden chain. However much then the wicked may rage, they yet become less ferocious when the name of God is introduced. This is the reason why the Prophet had mentioned the Spirit of God; it was, that there might be a freer course to his doctrine.
When he now says, Ye heads of the house of Jacob, ye rulers of the house of Israel, it is by way of concession, as though he had said, that these were indeed splendid titles, and that he was not so absurd as not to acknowledge what had been given them by God, even that they were eminent, a chosen race, being the children of Abraham. The Prophet then concedes to the princes what belonged to them, as though he had said, that he was not a seditious man, who had no care nor consideration for civil order. And this defense was very necessary, for nothing is more common than for the ungodly to charge God’s servants with sedition, whenever they use a freedom of speech as it becomes them. Hence all who govern the state, when they hear their corruptions reproved, or their avarice, or their cruelty, or any of their other crimes, immediately cry out, — “What! if we suffer these things, every thing will be upset: for when all respect is gone, what will follow but brutal outrage? for every one of the common people will rise up against the magistrates and the judges.” Thus then the wicked ever say, that God’s servants are seditious whenever they boldly reprove them. This is the reason why the Prophet concedes to the princes and judges of the people their honor; but a qualifying clause immediately follows, — Ye are indeed the heads, ye are rulers; but yet they hate judgment:” he does not think them worthy of being any longer addressed. He had indeed bidden them to hear as with authority; but having ordered them to hear, he now uncovers their wickedness, They hate, he says, judgments and all rectitude pervert: each of them builds Zion by blood, and Jerusalem by iniquity; that is, they turn their pillages into buildings: “This, forsooth, is the splendor of my holy city even of Zion! where I designed the ark of my covenant to be placed, as in my only habitation, even there buildings are seen constructed by blood and by plunder! See, he says, how wickedly these princes conduct themselves under the cover of their dignity!”
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We now see that the word of God is not bound, but that it puts forth its power against the highest as well as the lowest; for it is the Spirit’s office to arraign the whole world, and not a part only.
‘When the Spirit shall come,’ says Christ, ‘it will convince the world,’ (John 16:8.)
He speaks not there of the common people only, but of the whole world, of which princes and magistrates form a prominent part. Let us then know, that though we ought to show respect to judges, (as the Lord has honored them with dignified titles, calling them his vicegerents and also gods,) yet the mouths of Prophets ought not to be closed; but they ought, without making any difference, to correct whatever is deserving of reproof, and not to spare even the chief men themselves. This is what ought in the first place to be observed.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv10–11 They build them houses by bribery, which he calleth…
They build them houses by bribery, which he calleth blood and iniquity.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Mic 3:9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads…
Mic 3:9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
Ver. 9. Hear this, I pray you, ye heads, &c.] He had had a bout with them before; but because little good was thereby done, he is at them again; according to that counsel of the wise man, Ecc 11:6, "In the morning sow thy seed, in the evening withhold not thy hand: for thou knowest not," &c. "Preach the word," saith the apostle, "be instant" (or stand over the work, επιστηθι) "in season, out of season," 2Ti 4:2. Chrysostom told his Antiochians, that he would never give over preaching against that sin of swearing till they gave over their swearing; which, because he could not get them to do, he breaks out into these words, It will be a hard speech unto you, but I will speak it: though there be so many thousands of you, yet there cannot be found a hundred that shall be saved; and I tell you true, I doubt of them too.
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Ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel] As bad as they were he gives them their titles. The devil also is to have his due; he is called by the Holy Ghost "Prince of the air," and his angels are styled "principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world," Eph 6:12. {See Trapp on "Mic 3:1"}
That abhor judgment] They were not only ignorant of it, Mic 3:1, but abhorred it; and therefore abhorred it because they knew it not. Plato could say, that if moral virtue could be beheld with mortal eyes it would attract all hearts to itself. "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, spake evil of those things that they understood not," 2Pe 2:12, and "what they knew naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupted themselves," Jdg 1:10; being carried away by their impetuous and imperious lusts, they not only did that which was evil, but also hated the light of the law that reproved and sentenced them; licensing others by their practice, at least, to do the like. Such Centaurs and Cyclopes were these princes of Israel grown; such Heteroclites these heads of the house of Jacob. "The whole head was sick," Isa 1:5, the rulers were a scab, Isa 5:7. The Lord "looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry." They had made the age not unlike that under Nero, wherein nothing almost was unlawful; but villany was acted by authority (Dio Cassius).
And pervert all equity] Heb. they pervert, &c. It is spoken to others, in token of abomination; see the like, Gen 49:4, with the note. Now equity or rectitude is perverted, when the guilty are acquitted and the innocent condemned, see Isa 5:20; Isa 5:23, when there is accepting of persons. and receiving of gifts,
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv9–11 This verse is word for word the same in…
This verse is word for word the same in the former part of it with the former part of the first verse of this chapter; we refer thither for explication of it. The prophet having asserted his Divine call, and avowed his faithfulness in the prophetic office, Mic 3:8, he here gives us one more proof of it, dealing roundly with the magistrates in both kingdoms, Israel and Judah.
That abhor judgment; whereas judgment should be their great delight, as it is of every good magistrate, these had hearts that detested it, were weary of the directions of God’s law in their polity, and hated to be controlled by it.
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And pervert all equity; where you can, you wrest the law to countenance your unequal proceedings, and wrong those you should right, and acquit those you should condemn. And there is many a woe denounced against such.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the…
Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel,.... As an instance of his boldness, courage, and impartiality, he begins with the principal men of the land, and charges them with sins, and reproves for them, and denounces judgments on account of them; See Gill on Mic 3:1;
that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity; a sad character of princes, rulers, and judges, who not only ought to know but to love judgment, justice, and equity, and do them; even take delight and pleasure in the distribution of them to everyone, and in every cause that came before them; but, instead of this, hated to do that which was right and just; and perverted all the rules and laws of justice and equity, clearing the guilty, and condemning the innocent.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv10–11 They - The heads and great ones enlarge, beautify,…
They - The heads and great ones enlarge, beautify, and fortify, the house in Zion, particularly the temple and the royal palace. Blood - With wealth, which they made themselves masters of by violence, taking away the life of the owners.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Verse 9. Hear this] An appeal similar to that…
Verse 9. Hear this] An appeal similar to that in Mic 3:1.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v9 Mic 3:9-11. Hear this, ye heads of the house…
Mic 3:9-11. Hear this, ye heads of the house of Jacob, &c. — This address to the great men, shows the prophet’s courage and impartiality. That abhor judgment, &c. — Who do not love to pass a right judgment in matters that come before you, because you make no advantage to yourselves by so doing; but covet to have large bribes given you, to pervert equity, and make wrong decisions. They build up Zion with blood, &c. — Who build houses with the riches gotten by violence, and by the condemnation of the innocent. The heads thereof judge for reward — The judges pass sentence, not according to the right of the case, but according as they have been bribed. The priests thereof teach for hire — The priests for the sake of lucre teach those things which are agreeable to the kings and people, and not what God hath commanded to be taught. It was the duty of the priests to instruct the people, as well as to attend upon the service of the temple; for which cause they had cities allotted to them in all parts of the land: but, not being content with that plentiful revenue which the law allowed them, they made a corrupt gain of their office. And the prophets divine for money — This is to be understood of the false prophets. Yet will they lean upon the Lord — Pretend to trust in him, and expect his favour, protection, and blessing. And say, Is not the Lord among us — As our God and our shield? None evil — Such as war, famine, and captivity, can come upon us — While we have him with us to defend and help us.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Hear this, I pray you - The prophet discharges…
Hear this, I pray you - The prophet discharges upon them that “judgment” whereof, by the Spirit of God, he was full, and which they “abhorred; judgment” against their perversion of judgment. He rebukes the same classes as before “the heads and judges” Mic 3:1, yet still more sternly. They abhorred judgment, he says, as a thing loathsome and abominable, such as men cannot bear even to look upon; they not only dealt wrongly, but they “perverted, distorted, all equity:” “that so there should not remain even some slight justice in the city” . “All equity;” all of every sort, right, rectitude, uprightness, straight-forwardness, whatever was right by natural conscience or by God’s law, they distorted, like the sophists making the worse appear the better cause. Naked violence crushes the individual; perversion of equity destroys the fountain-head of justice. The prophet turns from them in these words, as one who could not bear to look upon their misdeeds, and who would not speak to them; “they pervert;” building; “her heads, her priests, her prophets;” as Elisha, but for the presence of Jehoshaphat, would not look on Jehoram, nor see him 2Ki 3:14. He first turns and speaks of them, as one man, as if they were all one in evil;
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv10–11 Iniquity. You offer victims unjustly procured, or build your…
Iniquity. You offer victims unjustly procured, or build your palaces with what belongs to the poor.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Hear--resumed from Mic 3:1. Here begins the leading subject…
Hear--resumed from Mic 3:1. Here begins the leading subject of the prophecy: a demonstration of his assertion that he is "full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah" (Mic 3:8).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v9 Renewed condemnation of the nation’s religious and political leaders…
Renewed condemnation of the nation’s religious and political leaders — Doom of Jerusalem, Mic_3:9-12.
After the direct denunciation of the prophets, Micah sums up the sins and crimes which may be laid to the charge of nobles, priests, and prophets, and announces the utter destruction of Jerusalem.
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Mic_3:9-10 are addressed exclusively to the “heads” and “princes” (R.V., “rulers”) of the nation, whose duty it was to administer justice. It is worthy of notice that not one word is said in condemnation of the king. This silence concerning the king may be due to the fact that the prophecy was uttered at a time when a king in sympathy with the prophetic teaching was upon the throne, namely, Hezekiah (compare Jer_26:17-19; 2Ki_18:3-4). The “heads,” instead of administering justice, abhorred and perverted it. How they did this is stated in Mic_3:11. The capital owed its splendor and magnificence very largely to the crimes condemned in Mic_3:9.
Blood — Blood-guiltiness (Isa_1:15; compare G.-K., 124n) that is, “violent conduct leading to the ruin of others.” By extortion and other illegitimate means they secured the material needed for the erection of palaces and other majestic structures. The last clause repeats the same thought for the sake of emphasis. Mic_3:11 contrasts the conduct of the rulers, priests, and prophets with their religious professions; and so it contains a summary of all the accusations uttered in the preceding verses, and paves the way for the announcement of doom in Mic_3:12.
Reward — Better, bribe. All the eighth century prophets find it necessary to preach against corruption of this sort (see on Amo_5:12; compare Isa_1:23; Mic_7:3).
The priests… teach for hire — It was the duty of the priests to teach the Torah (see on Hos_4:4 ff., especially Mic_3:6) and to give judgment in difficult legal cases; this they were to do uninfluenced by any personal consideration (Deu_17:11); but in time the priests became unfaithful, and the question of reward played an important part in the discharge of their duties.
Divine for money — See on Mic_3:5.
Lean upon Jehovah — In the face of this moral depravity rulers, priests, and prophets claimed to be entitled to the favor and protection of Jehovah.
Is not Jehovah among us? — In their opinion the prophet of judgment was a fanatic, a fool; they were convinced that, since Jehovah was on their side, no evil could befall them (see introductory remarks to Amo_3:1 to Amo_4:3; Amo_3:2; Amo_5:14). The mass of people might, perhaps, be excused for laboring under a misapprehension, but not so the leaders; they should have known that Jehovah demands holiness of heart and life rather than a painstaking ritual service.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv9, 11 9–12. A recapitulation of the national sins, with a…
9–12. A recapitulation of the national sins, with a more distinct declaration of the bitter end
10. build up Zion with blood] Probably this alludes to the building of palaces and fortifications, always a fruitful source of oppression in the East. ‘Blood’ is used by synecdoche for ‘violent conduct leading to the ruin of others;’ so Isa_1:15; Isa_59:3, Pro_1:11, and other passages. Unless we admit this, we shall have to take an incredibly dark view of the state of public morals in the Jewish state.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–11 (10) They build up Zion with blood—i.e., they acquire…
(10) They build up Zion with blood—i.e., they acquire money for the erection of splendid buildings by spoliation and robbery, not stopping short of murder. So also Habakkuk (Mic_2:12) denounces the king of Babylon for the bloody wars with which he obtained wealth for the enlargement of the city.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Vers. 9-12. Recapitulation of the sins of the three…
Vers. 9-12. Recapitulation of the sins of the three classes rulers, priests, and prophets, with an announcement of the destruction of Zion and the temple.
The prophet exemplifies his courage by delivering in full the denunciation with which he commenced (ver. 1: see note there). Hear this. What follows. Pervert all equity. Ye, who by your position ought to be models and guardians of justice and equity, violate all laws, human and Divine, make the straight crooked, distort every notion of right. (comp. Isa_59:8)
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Vers. 9-11. Spurious faith.
The prophet at once vindicates the claim he has just made (ver. 8). We have here
I AS UNSPARING EXPOSURE OF SINS IN HIGH QUARTERS. All classes are involved, and to each class the most scandalous characteristic offences are imputed.
1. Civil rulers. They are open to bribes, in direct violation of Exo_23:8, and therefore pervert judgment. These sophists on the judgment seat make "the worse appear the better reason;" and at length reach such a stage of iniquity that they "abhor judgment," and "call evil good" etc.. (Isa_5:20; cf. 2Pe_2:14) In the striking figure of Isaiah, (Isa_59:14) "truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." Their crimes are set out in detail in vers. 14. Meanwhile they are building fine mansions or laying out estates, but at the price of blood, like Ahab (1Ki 19) or Jehoiakim; (Jer_22:13-19) or they are wronging the poor, though the consequences may be fatal; as in modern society some of the "heads thereof" connive at social systems in government or in business, by which the poor are defrauded of their claim to a livelihood. "The bread of the needy is their life; he that defraudeth him thereof is a man of blood. He that taketh away his neighbour"s living slayeth him: and he that defraudeth the labourer of his hire is a bloodshedder" (Ecc 35:21, Ecc 35:22).
2. Ecclesiastical leaders. The priests" duty was to teach the Law, (Lev_10:11 Deu_17:11 Deu_33:10) but they too needed douceurs, or fees or bribes. They probably misinterpreted the Law from the same motive as did Eli"s sons. (1Sa_2:12-17) "So Arian bishops, themselves hirelings, by false expositions of Scripture countenanced Arian emperors in their persecution of the faithful" (Pusey). So, too, persecuting priests and prelates in more recent days.
3. Prophets. These religious teachers were raised up to promote a reformation; but they too had been dragged down to the level of other teachers. Divine prophecy had been corrupted into divination, as in the case of Balaam, and covetousness was universal. (ver. 5; and cf. Eze_13:1-6) An instructive parallel may be found in the case of the regular clergy of the medieval Church, who were gradually degraded to the low moral level of the secular clergy. We are reminded of the odiousness of a mercenary ministry. Thus all classes were combined in a conspiracy of unrighteousness, (as in Eze_22:23-31) and the love of money was the root of all this evil.
II AN INDIGNANT PROTEST AGAINST UNWARRANTED FAITH IN GOD. They flatter themselves:
1. That they may lean upon the lord. Deaf to all past teachings, blind to the danger signals which history has erected, they insult God by leaning upon him, and expecting him to support their vile souls and pampered bodies. (cf. Deu_29:19, Deu_29:20) They further take for granted:
2. That the lord is among them. Though invisible to sense, and sending repeated protests, they assume his favourable presence. They trust in lying words, saying. "The temple of the Lord are these," as though the temple of the Lord and the Lord of the temple were identical. In a church at Innsbruck, on the tabernacle containing the consecrated wafer are the words, "Ecce tabernaculum Dei." If this daring perversion of Scripture had proclaimed a truth, what a false confidence for an unworthy communicant; as though "Corpus Christi" and "Christ in you" were the same! "There standeth One among you whom ye know not" may be true, but in a new sense; if not to sanctify, to condemn.
3. That no evil will be fall them. As though God"s protests and a guilty conscience were not in themselves evils and the forecast shadows of coming doom. So deceitful and desperately wicked is the heart of man. These truths may be applied to many nominal Christians.
(1) Ambitious monarchs or statesmen, "building up" their country by huge standing armies, or navies, or palaces, at the cost of grinding taxation, leading to semi-starvation and loathsome disease as among the Italian peasantry, or of tyrannical extortions from Egyptian fellaheen, or of a merciless conscription as in Germany, driving some of her best sons from her shores.
(2) Landlords amassing fortunes from rack renting the fever slums of London, or confiscating the fruits of the tenants" industry in Ireland.
(3) Drink sellers fattening on the pauperism of their wretched customers, or carrying liquid poisons to tribes just emerging from barbarism.
(4) Hireling preachers or priests, prophesying smooth things to unrighteous aristocrats or plutocrats, or lulling guilty consciences by the opiate of the sacrament. Such men of expediency crucified even the Son of God that Zion might be "built up". (Joh_11:48; see Jer_5:30, Jer_5:31) To that final question an answer is found in ver. 12. E.S.P.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v10 Hear this . . . ye heads of the…
Mic_3:10-11
Hear this . . . ye heads of the house of Jacob . . . that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity
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Rectitude
I.
There is an eternal law of right that should govern man in all his relations. Right, as a sentiment, is one of the deepest, most ineradicable and operative sentiments in humanity. All men feel that there is such a thing as right. What the right is is a subject on which there has been and is a variety of opinion. Right implies a standard, and men differ about the standard. Some say the law of your country is the standard; some say public sentiment is the standard; some say temporal expediency is the standard. All these are fearfully mistaken. Philosophy and the Bible teach that there is but one standard, that is the will of the Creator. That will He reveals in many ways--in nature, in history, in conscience, in Christ. Conformity to that will is right.
1. The law of Christ should govern man in his relations with God. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, etc.
2. The law of right should govern man in his relation to his fellow men--Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them. This law of right is immutable. It admits of no modification. It is universal. It is binding alike on all moral beings in the universe. It is benevolent. It seeks the happiness of all.
II. That a practical disregard of this law leads to fraud and violence. For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. The magnates of Samaria had no respect for the practice of right, hence they stored up violence and robbery in their palaces. Fraud and violence are the two great primary crimes in all social life.
III. That fraud and violence must ultimately meet with condign punishment. Therefore thus saith the Lord God: An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. How was this realised? Against him came up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes (2Ki_17:3; 2Ki_17:6; 2Ki_18:9-11). The cheats and murderers of mankind will, as sure as there is justice in the world, meet with a terrible doom. Punishment is the recoil of crime; and the strength of the backstroke is in proportion to the original blow. (Homilist.)
.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v9 Mic_3:9. Hear] Resumed from Mic_3:1. Heads] Whose ungodly conduct…
CRITICAL NOTES.]
Mic_3:9. Hear] Resumed from Mic_3:1. Heads] Whose ungodly conduct is briefly summed up again. Abhor] As a thing loathsome and abominable (Heb.)
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Mic_3:10. Build] Lit. building with wealth and money obtained by bribes and murder of the innocent (Jer_22:13; Eze_22:27; Hab_2:12). “Or by blood he may mean that they indirectly took away life, in that, through wrong judgments, extortion, usury, fraud, oppression, reducing wages, or detaining them, they took away what was necessary to support life” [Pusey],
Mic_3:11. Reward] Take bribes, when they should teach gratuitously (Lev_10:11; Deu_17:11). Prophets] False prophets. Money] “Giving the answer which their employers, the rich men, wanted, as if it were an answer from God” [Pusey.] Among us] Enthroned in the temple to protect us from calamity.
Mic_3:12. Therefore] Culminating the threats of Mic_3:8, a great contrast to the conclusion of chapter 2. They thought to build, when by their conduct they destroy Zion; “for your sake be plowed.” “The predicates are divided rhetorically, and the thought is this: the royal palace, the city, and the temple shall be so utterly destroyed, that of all the houses and palaces only heaps of rubbish will remain, and the ground upon which the city stood will be partly used as a ploughed field, and partly overgrown with bushes” (cf. Isa_32:13-14) [Keil]. Hezekiah’s repentance delayed the execution of the judgment for more than a hundred years; but Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and by Titus.
HOMILETICS
GUILTY LEADERS.—Mic_3:9-11
The prophet gives a proof of his fidelity in reproving the rulers of the nation, civil and religious; briefly sums up the sins of which they were guilty, and which brought their ruin; and shows that all who are confident of God’s favour will not escape his judgments.
I. Civil rulers perverted law for selfish aggrandisement. Rulers of the State should have been patterns of justice, but they despised it.
1. They abhorred judgment. Loathed it as abominable. Plato taught that if virtue could be seen by men, it would be attractive; but these judges knew and hated it.
2. They perverted judgment. They twisted and distorted it. Not only crushed individuals, but destroyed the foundation of justice.
3. They perverted all judgment, “all equity.” Whatever was right and straight they made crooked. Natural conscience and God’s law were both defied. They neither governed themselves by right, nor gave right to others. They encouraged others by their practice, and, as in the age of Nero, made nothing unlawful.
4. Their aim was to build up Zion. The rich built their palaces with wealth gained by fraud and oppression. The city was adorned with streets built by rapine and blood. The Lord looked “for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”
II. Religious teachers expounded law for gain. All are accused of bribery and mercenary conduct. Princes, priests, and prophets loved the wages of unrighteousness.
1. Priests taught for hire. They had maintenance assigned to them by God, had much by gratuity (1Sa_9:7-8), and should have made a difference between holy and unholy (Lev_10:10-11; Deu_17:10-11). But they sold what they should have given, and combined with the heads of the nation, with injustice. One class abused their power, another their knowledge; the judge perverted law, the priest misinterpreted it.
2. Prophets divined for money. False prophets gave answers to please those who paid them. As the oracles of Apollo were corrupted by the gold of Philip, so the law of God was sold for money. All sought their own, not the things of Christ, nor the interests of the people. “Thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.”
VAIN CONFIDENCE DESTROYED.—Mic_3:11-12
Notwithstanding their abominable conduct, yet the judges, priests, and prophets presume upon God’s favour, and think that no evil will befall them. The prophet seeks to rouse them from their vain confidence.
I. They were confident of God’s favour. “Is not the Lord among us?” Presumption feeds men with delusion. External privileges, outward reformation, ritual worship, will save no man. Those who lean upon these will dishonour God and destroy themselves. Perversion of truth and abuse of ordinances will drive God from us. “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord are we.”
II. They were confident of security from evil. “No evil can come upon us.” We are perfectly safe whatever others say. Thus men are deluded in sin, and rocked to sleep in fatal security. If men are not restrained from evil by religious privileges, they can never be protected by them. Shake off carnal security, fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
III. They were doomed to destruction in their confidence. “There shall Zion,” &c.
1. The city would be destroyed. Its stately buildings were demolished, and its proud palaces reduced to heaps. The ground on which it stood was ploughed as a common field, and the site of the temple became wild as a forest.
2. Their own sins had procured this ruin. “For your sake.” Sin will ever draw calamity in Church and State. Corrupt rulers and teachers involve the people in defection, and hasten on the judgment. They may think that they build, when they only destroy; that they secure prosperity, when they ruin it. Every sanctuary desecrated by hypocrisy will be demolished by the wrath of God. Instead of protecting, it will fall upon its worshippers, and great will be the fall of it. “Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood!”
HOMILETIC HINTS AND OUTLINES
Mic_3:9.
1. Persons in eminency, accustomed to sin, are generally deaf to what the Lord saith.
2. The messengers of the Lord must not give up when their message is not received, but cry till either they get audience or have delivered their souls. Hear, I pray you.
3. It is the duty of faithful ministers, in reproving the faults of rulers, to be courteous, and not contemn authority. Hear, ye heads, &c. [Adapted from Hutcheson].
Mic_3:10. Building Zion by wrong means is the way to pull it down. It can never stand erected by sinful materials, and for a selfish end. “Truly we build up Zion with blood when we cheapen luxuries and comforts at the price of souls, use Christian toil like brute strength, tempt men to dishonesty and women to other sin, to eke out the scanty wages which alone our selfish thirst for cheapness allows, heedless of everything save of our individual gratification, or of the commercial prosperity which we have made our god” [Pusey]. Righteousness builds up because it brings God’s protection and blessing unrighteousness tears down because it brings God’s curse [Hengstenberg].
Mic_3:11. Leaning.
1. Holy men sometimes rest on official relationship with God, pollute the holiest things, and become a warning to others.
2. Guilty men will often lean upon the Lord, claim his protection, and flatter themselves into false security. “The sacred office is a grievous snare to unsanctified hearts,” says one. “No ungodliness, pride, secularity, and hypocrisy are so great as those which stand before God in association with the teaching of his Word.”
Mic_3:11-12. False confidence in God.
1. Its ground, an outward temple—sacraments.
2. Its danger, disregard of the distant future, indifference, indulgence given to the natural man.
3. Its end. Fate of the Jewish state; the holy city becomes as the world, and shares the fate of the world. So likewise we. If we forsake God he will forsake us [Lange].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 3
Mic_3:9-10. Build. The crimes of the people of England are not denounced by the pulpit as they should be; the abominations of royalty, the injustices perpetrated in the courts of justice, the cupidity of traders, the swindlings of joint-stock company men, by which they become millionnaires, and win a seat in the parliament of the nation. These things are not held up, as they should be, for public execration, in the broad sunlight of eternal truth [Dr. Thomas].
Mic_3:11. Money. The priests of Rome aim but at two things—to get power from the king and money from the subject [Selden]. Gold is the fool’s curtain, which hides all his defects from the world [Feltham].
“They all the sacred mysteries of heav’n
To their own vile advantages shall turn
Of lucre and ambition” [Milton].
Mic_3:12. Zion ploughed. At the time I visited this sacred ground, one part of it supported a crop of barley, another was undergoing the labour of the plough, and the soil turned up consisted of stone and lime, filled with earth, such as is usually met with in the foundations of ruined cities. It is nearly a mile in circumference [Richardson’s Travels]. On the S.E. Zion slopes down, in a series of cultivated terraces, sharply, though not abruptly, to the sites of the king’s gardens. Here and round to the S. the whole declivities are sprinkled with olive trees, which grow luxuriantly among the narrow slips of corn [Porter].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v9 house of Jacob
house of Jacob
The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house. In this case it refers to Jacob's descendants. AT: "descendants of Jacob" (See: Metonymy)
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the house of Israel
The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house. In this case it refers to Israel's descendants, who had become the nation of Israel. AT: "descendants of Israel" or "you Israelites" (See: Metonymy)
detest
strongly dislike
You build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity
"Blood" here is a metonym for murder, and "Zion" and "Jerusalem" are spoken of as if they were buildings. Micah speaks of the rich murdering people and sinning in other ways as if those activities were the bricks and wood with which people use to build houses. AT: "You commit murder and other horrible sins as you work to make Zion and Jerusalem great" or "You commit murder as you worship in Zion, and you commit other sins as you get rich in Jerusalem" (See: Metaphor and Metonymy)
Is not Yahweh with us?
The leaders strongly believe that Yahweh is with them. This can be translated as a statement. AT: "We know that Yahweh is with us!" or "We know that Yahweh will help us do what we want to do!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
evil
See how you translated "disaster" in Micah 1:12.
translationWords
house
Jacob
rule
Israel
just
Zion
blood
Jerusalem
iniquity
judge
bribe
priest
prophet
divination
Yahweh
evil
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv9, 11 3:9-12 The leaders of Israel were building Jerusalem on…
3:9-12 The leaders of Israel were building Jerusalem on a foundation of murder and corruption. Because of this, the city would be dismantled; it would be reduced to wilderness and ruins (3:12).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.