Wait for the God of Salvation

Woe is me! For I have become
    (A)as when the summer fruit has been gathered,
    as when the grapes have been gleaned:
there is no cluster to eat,
    no (B)first-ripe fig that my soul desires.
(C)The godly has perished from the earth,
    and (D)there is no one upright among mankind;
(E)they all lie in wait for blood,
    and (F)each hunts the other with a net.
(G)Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
    (H)the prince and (I)the judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
    thus they weave it together.
The best of them is (J)like a brier,
    the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of (K)your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
    (L)now their confusion is at hand.
(M)Put no trust in a neighbor;
    have no confidence in a friend;
guard (N)the doors of your mouth
    from her who lies in your arms;[a]
for (O)the son treats the father with contempt,
    the daughter rises up against her mother,
the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
    (P)a man's enemies are the men of his own house.
But as for me, I will look to the Lord;
    (Q)I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.

(R)Rejoice not over me, O (S)my enemy;
    (T)when I fall, I shall rise;
(U)when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me.
(V)I will bear the indignation of the Lord
    because I have sinned against him,
until (W)he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
(X)He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
10 Then (Y)my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who (Z)said to me,
    “Where is the Lord your God?”
(AA)My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    (AB)like the mire of the streets.

11 (AC)A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
12 In that day they[b] will come to you,
    (AD)from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
and from Egypt to (AE)the River,[c]
    (AF)from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 But (AG)the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their deeds.

14 (AH)Shepherd your people (AI)with your staff,
    the flock of your inheritance,
who dwell alone in a forest
    (AJ)in the midst of (AK)a garden land;[d]
let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
15 (AL)As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    I will show them[e] marvelous things.
16 (AM)The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
(AN)they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
17 (AO)they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
(AP)they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
    (AQ)they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God,
    and they shall be in fear of you.

God's Steadfast Love and Compassion

18 (AR)Who is a God like you, (AS)pardoning iniquity
    and passing over transgression
    (AT)for the remnant of his inheritance?
(AU)He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will (AV)again have compassion on us;
    (AW)he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
(AX)You will cast all our[f] sins
    into the depths of the sea.
20 (AY)You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and steadfast love to Abraham,
(AZ)as you have sworn to our fathers
    from the days of old.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:5 Hebrew bosom
  2. Micah 7:12 Hebrew he
  3. Micah 7:12 That is, the Euphrates
  4. Micah 7:14 Hebrew of Carmel
  5. Micah 7:15 Hebrew him
  6. Micah 7:19 Hebrew their

The Prophet Acknowledges Injustice

Woe to me! For I am
Like harvests of summer fruit, like gleanings of (A)grapes.
There is not a cluster of grapes left to eat,
Nor an (B)early fig, which [a]I crave.
The [b]godly person has (C)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among mankind.
All of them lie in wait for (D)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (E)net.
As for evil, both hands do it (F)well.
The leader asks for a (G)bribe, also the judge,
And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul;
So they plot it together.
The best of them is like a (H)thorn bush,
The most upright like a (I)thorn hedge.
The day [c]when you post your watchmen,
Your (J)punishment is coming.
Then their (K)confusion will occur.
Do not (L)trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a close friend.
Guard [d]your lips
From her who lies [e]in your arms.
For (M)son disavows father,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(N)A person’s enemies are the people of his own household.

God Is the Source of Salvation and Light

But as for me, I will (O)be on the watch for the Lord;
I will (P)wait for the God of my salvation.
My (Q)God will hear me.
(R)Do not rejoice over me, (S)enemy of mine.
Though I fall I will (T)rise;
Though I live in darkness, the Lord is a (U)light for me.

I will endure the rage of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He (V)pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the (W)light,
And I will look at His [f](X)righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who (Y)said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look at her;
[g]At that time she will [h]be (Z)trampled down
Like mud of the streets.
11 It will be a day for (AA)building your walls.
On that day your boundary will be extended.
12 It will be a day when [i]they will (AB)come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the Euphrates River,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become a (AC)wasteland because of her inhabitants,
On account of the (AD)fruit of their deeds.

14 (AE)Shepherd Your people with Your (AF)scepter,
The flock of Your [j]possession
Which lives by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of [k]a fruitful field.
Let them feed in (AG)Bashan and Gilead
(AH)As in the days of old.
15 “As in the days when you went out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [l](AI)you miracles.”
16 Nations (AJ)will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will (AK)put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will (AL)lick up dust like a snake,
Like [m](AM)reptiles of the earth.
They will come (AN)trembling out of their [n]fortresses;
To the Lord our God they will come in (AO)trepidation,
And they will be afraid of You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (AP)pardons wrongdoing
And passes over a rebellious act of the (AQ)remnant of His [o]possession?
He does not (AR)retain His anger forever,
Because He (AS)delights in mercy.
19 He will again take pity on us;
(AT)He will trample on our wrongdoings.
Yes, You will (AU)cast all [p]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [q](AV)truth to Jacob
And favor to Abraham,
Which You (AW)swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 7:1 Lit my soul desires
  2. Micah 7:2 Or faithful
  3. Micah 7:4 Lit of your
  4. Micah 7:5 Lit the openings of your mouth
  5. Micah 7:5 Lit on your chest
  6. Micah 7:9 I.e., right dealing
  7. Micah 7:10 Lit Now
  8. Micah 7:10 Lit become a trampled place
  9. Micah 7:12 Lit he
  10. Micah 7:14 Or inheritance
  11. Micah 7:14 Or Carmel
  12. Micah 7:15 Lit him
  13. Micah 7:17 Lit crawling things
  14. Micah 7:17 Or prisons
  15. Micah 7:18 Or inheritance
  16. Micah 7:19 Several ancient versions our
  17. Micah 7:20 Or faithfulness

Israel’s Misery

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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
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)

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

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)
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

  1. Micah 7:14 Or in the middle of Carmel

哀嘆義人死亡

哀哉!我[a]好像夏天的果子已被收盡,又像摘了葡萄所剩下的,沒有一掛可吃的,我心羨慕初熟的無花果。 地上虔誠人滅盡,世間沒有正直人。各人埋伏要殺人流血,都用網羅獵取弟兄。

人心唯惡是趨

他們雙手作惡,君王徇情面,審判官要賄賂,位分大的吐出惡意,都彼此結聯行惡。 他們最好的不過是蒺藜,最正直的不過是荊棘籬笆。你守望者說降罰的日子已經來到,他們必擾亂不安。

勿恃世人唯賴神

不要倚賴鄰舍,不要信靠密友,要守住你的口,不要向你懷中的妻提說。 因為兒子藐視父親,女兒抗拒母親,媳婦抗拒婆婆,人的仇敵就是自己家裡的人。

至於我,我要仰望耶和華,要等候那救我的神,我的神必應允我。 我的仇敵啊,不要向我誇耀!我雖跌倒,卻要起來;我雖坐在黑暗裡,耶和華卻做我的光。 我要忍受耶和華的惱怒,因我得罪了他。直等他為我辨屈,為我申冤,他必領我到光明中,我必得見他的公義。 10 那時,我的仇敵,就是曾對我說「耶和華你神在哪裡」的,他一看見這事就被羞愧遮蓋。我必親眼見他遭報,他必被踐踏,如同街上的泥土。 11 以色列啊,日子必到,你的牆垣必重修。到那日,你的境界必開展[b] 12 當那日,人必從亞述,從埃及的城邑,從埃及到大河,從這海到那海,從這山到那山,都歸到你這裡。 13 然而,這地因居民的緣故,又因他們行事的結果,必然荒涼。

主許復施恩惠

14 求耶和華在迦密山的樹林中,用你的杖牧放你獨居的民,就是你產業的羊群。求你容他們在巴珊基列得食物,像古時一樣。 15 耶和華說:「我要把奇事顯給他們看,好像出埃及地的時候一樣。」 16 列國看見這事,就必為自己的勢力慚愧。他們必用手摀口,掩耳不聽。 17 他們必舔土如蛇,又如土中腹行的物,戰戰兢兢地出他們的營寨。他們必戰懼投降耶和華,也必因我們的神而懼怕。

神不永蓄怒樂赦罪愆

18 神啊,有何神像你?赦免罪孽,饒恕你產業之餘民的罪過。不永遠懷怒,喜愛施恩。 19 必再憐憫我們,將我們的罪孽踏在腳下,又將我們的一切罪投於深海。 20 你必按古時起誓應許我們列祖的話,向雅各發誠實,向亞伯拉罕施慈愛。

Footnotes

  1. 彌迦書 7:1 或指以色列。
  2. 彌迦書 7:11 或作:命令必傳到遠方。