It is hardly surprising that Micah’s stern message to the rich did not bring him popularity. Instead it earned for him mockery and rebuke, just as it did for Isaiah (Isa 28.9-10; 30.9-11) and Amos (Amos 7.12-13). This rebuke by Micah’s opponents is quoted directly in verse 6, but there is doubt about how far the quotation extends. Revised Standard Version ends it at the end of verse 6, but New International Version and the New Jewish Version (New Jerusalem Bible) continue it to the middle of verse 7, while Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Good News Translation carry it through to the end of verse 7. The last option is more convincing but depends on assuming an error in copying the Hebrew text and changing it slightly in two places. The text of these and the following verses contains a number of difficulties, and some changes are almost unavoidable (see discussion below.)

The people who heard Micah’s message evidently mimicked its manner of delivery in their retort. Thus Micah could say that they preach at me and say, “Don’t preach at us….” The Hebrew uses the same word for preach in both places. It is a common word for the preaching of the prophets, but some commentators feel that it also had another sense, meaning something like “to talk on and on about nothing.” In some languages it may quite difficult to use the same word in both parts of this line, for if the usual word for preach or prophesy means “to speak God’s message,” then it will not be correct in either part of this line; the people themselves were not speaking God’s message, and they would not have admitted that Micah was either. If a language has this sort of problem, it may be helpful to look for a word with a meaning like “speaking nonsense” that may fit into both places. (Compare Jerusalem Bible “rave” and New English Bible “rant.”)

Micah’s topics touched the consciences of his hearers, however, and they could not even bring themselves to mention the subject matter. They refer to it simply as “such things” (Revised Standard Version) or all that. Good News Translation captures well their scornful rejection of the message with Don’t preach about all that. Because Micah’s message about their sins and the coming punishment was unwelcome to the hearers, they were easily able to convince themselves that there was nothing in it to fear. God is not going to disgrace us is the expression of their wishful thinking. Again Good News Translation turns from an impersonal construction (“disgrace will not overtake us,” Revised Standard Version) and makes it clear that the implied actor is God. Disgrace can also be translated “shame” or “humiliate,” and it may refer back to verses 3 and 4, where the Lord says he will punish the evildoers and make other people mock them.

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 .