Micah 7:3

That they may do evil This verse and the first half of the following verse are extremely obscure, and it is most improbable that the text as it stands is correct. In any case, the A.V. rendering of the first clause cannot be maintained; a better one is, -(Their) hands are (only) for evil, to do (it) skilfully."

the prince asketh -Asketh" the judge to shut his eyes to some act of violence, or to put some righteous man out of the way.

the judge asketh Rather, -the judge doeth it," or -agreeth to his demand;" but the ellipsis is harsh, and the probability is that there is some corruption of the text, or that the letters are wrongly grouped in the Massoretic text.

so they wrap it up Rather, -and they weave it together." It requires -weaving" to carry an evil desire into effect, for, bad as the times are, it is needful to keep up the forms of justice. Thus, when Ahab wished to get rid of Naboth, it was necessary to persuade the people that his victim had -renounced God and the king" (1 Kings 21:13).