The book of Micah is both a complicated work and literarily cluttered. While the book is set in Judah during the mid-to-late eighth century BCE, much of it was composed in the exilic and postexilic periods. Any eighth-century components have been heavily redacted. For present purposes, however, the turbulent period in which Micah’s authors set their work is more important than time(s) of actual authorship. The book’s eighth-century Judean setting gives clues as to its authors’ intents as well as signaling the book’s relevance to a variety of audiences. Eighth-century Judah’s contexts of suffering conquest and subjugation – with the political, economic, and religious changes that follow – resonate with marginalized peoples across time. Furthermore, Micah’s laments, accusations, legal sentencings, and promises of hope reflect a biblical-economic ethos that recurs throughout the First Testament: the ethos of the community responsibility for the well-being of individuals. Despite its unpolished form, therefore, Micah is rich in ethical landscapes through which to explore poverty and other social justice issues, both ancient and modern.