Micah 7
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
The Total Corruption of the People
7 Woe is me! For I have become like one who,
after the summer fruit has been gathered,
after the vintage has been gleaned,
finds no cluster to eat;
there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger.
2 The faithful have disappeared from the land,
and there is no one left who is upright;
they all lie in wait for blood,
and they hunt each other with nets.
3 Their hands are skilled to do evil;
the official and the judge ask for a bribe,
and the powerful dictate what they desire;
thus they pervert justice.[a]
4 The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of their[b] sentinels, of their[c] punishment, has come;
now their confusion is at hand.
5 Put no trust in a friend,
have no confidence in a loved one;
guard the doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your embrace;
6 for the son treats the father with contempt,
the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
your enemies are members of your own household.
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord,
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
my God will hear me.
Penitence and Trust in God
8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.
9 I must bear the indignation of the Lord,
because I have sinned against him,
until he takes my side
and executes judgment for me.
He will bring me out to the light;
I shall see his vindication.
10 Then my enemy will see,
and shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her downfall;[d]
now she will be trodden down
like the mire of the streets.
A Prophecy of Restoration
11 A day for the building of your walls!
In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they will come to you
from Assyria to[e] Egypt,
and from Egypt to the River,
from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But the earth will be desolate
because of its inhabitants,
for the fruit of their doings.
14 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock that belongs to you,
which lives alone in a forest
in the midst of a garden land;
let them feed in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
15 As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
show us[f] marvelous things.
16 The nations shall see and be ashamed
of all their might;
they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
their ears shall be deaf;
17 they shall lick dust like a snake,
like the crawling things of the earth;
they shall come trembling out of their fortresses;
they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
and they shall stand in fear of you.
God’s Compassion and Steadfast Love
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over the transgression
of the remnant of your[g] possession?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in showing clemency.
19 He will again have compassion upon us;
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all our[h] sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and unswerving loyalty to Abraham,
as you have sworn to our ancestors
from the days of old.
Footnotes
- Micah 7:3 Cn: Heb they weave it
- Micah 7:4 Heb your
- Micah 7:4 Heb your
- Micah 7:10 Heb lacks downfall
- Micah 7:12 One Ms: MT Assyria and cities of
- Micah 7:15 Cn: Heb I will show him
- Micah 7:18 Heb his
- Micah 7:19 Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb their
Micah 7
New International Version
Israel’s Misery
7 What misery is mine!
I am like one who gathers summer fruit
at the gleaning of the vineyard;
there is no cluster of grapes to eat,
none of the early figs(A) that I crave.
2 The faithful have been swept from the land;(B)
not one(C) upright person remains.
Everyone lies in wait(D) to shed blood;(E)
they hunt each other(F) with nets.(G)
3 Both hands are skilled in doing evil;(H)
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,(I)
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together.
4 The best of them is like a brier,(J)
the most upright worse than a thorn(K) hedge.
The day God visits you has come,
the day your watchmen sound the alarm.
Now is the time of your confusion.(L)
5 Do not trust a neighbor;
put no confidence in a friend.(M)
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
guard the words of your lips.
6 For a son dishonors his father,
a daughter rises up against her mother,(N)
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.(O)
7 But as for me, I watch(P) in hope(Q) for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear(R) me.
Israel Will Rise
8 Do not gloat over me,(S) my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.(T)
Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be my light.(U)
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the Lord’s wrath,(V)
until he pleads my case(W)
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;(X)
I will see his righteousness.(Y)
10 Then my enemy will see it
and will be covered with shame,(Z)
she who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”(AA)
My eyes will see her downfall;(AB)
even now she will be trampled(AC) underfoot
like mire in the streets.
11 The day for building your walls(AD) will come,
the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day people will come to you
from Assyria(AE) and the cities of Egypt,
even from Egypt to the Euphrates
and from sea to sea
and from mountain to mountain.(AF)
13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants,
as the result of their deeds.(AG)
Prayer and Praise
14 Shepherd(AH) your people with your staff,(AI)
the flock of your inheritance,
which lives by itself in a forest,
in fertile pasturelands.[a](AJ)
Let them feed in Bashan(AK) and Gilead(AL)
as in days long ago.(AM)
15 “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
I will show them my wonders.(AN)”
16 Nations will see and be ashamed,(AO)
deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths(AP)
and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust(AQ) like a snake,
like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling(AR) out of their dens;
they will turn in fear(AS) to the Lord our God
and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a God(AT) like you,
who pardons sin(AU) and forgives(AV) the transgression
of the remnant(AW) of his inheritance?(AX)
You do not stay angry(AY) forever
but delight to show mercy.(AZ)
19 You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities(BA) into the depths of the sea.(BB)
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
and show love to Abraham,(BC)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors(BD)
in days long ago.(BE)
Footnotes
- Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.