OET interlinear MIC 7:4

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

(Occurrence 0) The best of them is like a brier, the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge

(Some words not found in UHB: best_of,them like,brier upright than,thorn_hedge day watchmen_of,your punishment_of,your come now is confusion_of,their )

Briers and thorns are good for nothing and harm those who touch them. The Israelite rulers and judges did nothing good and harmed people.

(Occurrence 0) the most upright

(Some words not found in UHB: best_of,them like,brier upright than,thorn_hedge day watchmen_of,your punishment_of,your come now is confusion_of,their )

Alternate translation: “those of them who try hardest to do what is good”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

(Occurrence 0) It is the day foretold by your watchmen, the day of your punishment

(Some words not found in UHB: best_of,them like,brier upright than,thorn_hedge day watchmen_of,your punishment_of,your come now is confusion_of,their )

Micah speaks to the people of Israel, so both instances of “your” are plural. Alternate translation: “Their prophets have told them that Yahweh would punish them”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

(Occurrence 0) Now is the time of their confusion

(Some words not found in UHB: best_of,them like,brier upright than,thorn_hedge day watchmen_of,your punishment_of,your come now is confusion_of,their )

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word confusion, you can express the same idea with a verbal form. Alternate translation: “Now is when they do not understand what is happening”