As the literal translation of the Good News Translation footnote and the Revised Standard Version text and footnote show, there is in this verse in the Hebrew a variation in personal pronoun forms that is very confusing. If the Hebrew text is translated as it stands, the English will be “I will show him marvelous things” (compare Revised Standard Version footnote, King James Version, rv, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In this sentence the “I” must refer to the Lord and the “him” to the people of Israel. Since they have been called “you” in the earlier part of the sentence, the change is very awkward. Even Revised Standard Version and New International Version, which try to follow the Hebrew closely here, translate as “them” instead of “him,” referring to the people.
A relatively small change in the Hebrew lets us translate “I will show them” (footnote “him”) of Revised Standard Version as an imperative, and this change is accepted by Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, and New English Bible, as well as Good News Translation. This certainly gives a smooth and intelligible meaning to the verse, which on this understanding continues the prayer of the previous verse.
Good News Translation reorders the lines of this verse and puts the main clause first, Work miracles for us. This clause may have to be structured in quite a different way in other languages. Miracles are amazing, wonderful, unexpected acts. Some languages may have a single word for this, while others may have to describe the idea in a longer expression. For us may have to be translated as “in order to help us.” Another restructuring can be “Help us by doing marvelous things.”
Revised Standard Version “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt” is a reference to the idea of the Lord being at the head of his people at the time of the exodus. This is expanded and made more explicit in Good News Translation: as you did in the days when you brought us out of Egypt. The days can of course be translated as “the time,” or just “when.” You brought us can be translated as “you led us.”
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .